Hour Follows Hour
by Laura Dugan
Summary: Sue is faced with a danger she never could have imagined. Will Jack and the rest of the team be able to save her before time runs out? Bones fans - check this one out! It's not Booth and Brennan, but I think you'll like it.
1. Dec 21 6:16 pm

**A/N:** While updating my website (lauradugan(dot)com), I realized that I had a few old stories that I never uploaded to FanFiction. I was shocked that I never posted this one! The other two were short one-shots. This is a very involved, multi-chapter story of which I am very proud! I guess I published it on my site and forgot to put it out here. Well, I'm remedying that now. I hope you enjoy!

Each chapter is prefaced by a song lyric (several from the story's title song, Hour Follows Hour) and includes a date and time. Each time has a specific origin which I'll explain in each chapter's preface.

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. STFBE is property of Pebblehut. It's not even on the air any more – oh, though I wish it was!

**Date:** 6/16 is my sister-in-law's birthday. Also the birthday of my friend Jenn.

* * *

_Hour follows hour _

_Like water follows water _

_Everything is governed by the rule _

_Of one thing leads to another _

_~ Ani DiFranco :: Hour Follows Hour ~_

**Hour Follows Hour**

**12/21 6:16 pm**

"Sue?" Lucy stood in the doorway of her bedroom and waved her arms trying to get her friend's attention. "Sue?" she said again, practically jumping up and down. Still, Sue did not look up. She remained staring at the telephone in front of her. Lucy sighed and walked over to where Sue sat, touching her shoulder and making her jump in surprise. "I think I've managed to land a few aircraft with my hand signals, but you didn't seem to notice at all."

"I'm sorry, Luce. I guess I'm just distracted," Sue smiled weakly and then stood, walking to the couch where she plopped down, clutching a pillow.

"Okay, what is going on here?" Lucy asked as she moved Sue's legs aside so she could squeeze onto one end of the couch. "I don't think I've ever seen you like this, moping around, not saying anything, developing an unhealthy attachment to the telephone..."

"I talked to David," Sue signed, feeling more comfortable at the moment in her native language.

"David? I haven't heard him mentioned in a while."

"We broke up." Sue closed her eyes, trying to find some inner calm, a way to detangle her thoughts. But all she saw was the look in Jack's eyes, that fleeting moment where he sought her approval before his lips touched hers and all rational thought ceased to exist. She opened her eyes and sat up, wrapping her arms around her legs and propping her chin on her knees.

"Ah. So that explains the depression. I take it, it wasn't mutual? I thought that you and..." Lucy stopped signing at Sue's signal.

"I broke up with him." Sue spoke, tucking her head behind her knees.

Lucy looked at her, puzzled, then reached out and drew up her chin. "Well, that certainly makes things more interesting."

"Lucy!"

"What?" Lucy couldn't help but grin. "I had a feeling there was more to this story than there seemed. So spill, I want all the details."

"Well, you said I hadn't talked about David in a while... And I hadn't because we really had not been seeing much of each other. It's Christmas, so he's been busy with orders and I've been busy with work and spending more time with..." Sue stopped speaking and made a sort of waving twisting hand gesture.

"I'm not familiar with that sign."

"That's because it's not one. I was assuming that you'd fill in the blank."

Lucy laughed. "Right. You mean Jack. I had noticed the two of you catching dinner at least one night a week, but I didn't want to ask. There's already a bit of gossip floating around work and I didn't want to make things worse."

Sue groaned. "Gossip?"

"Well, what did you expect after the two of you were caught making out?"

"We weren't making out!"

"Uh huh, yeah. You're talking to me, here, Sue. Not Bobby and the rest of the gang. And if it wasn't making out, then what exactly was it?"

Sue felt herself blushing and covered her face again. Lucy laughed and let Sue regain her composure before she touched her arm.

"You've got it bad, girl. But I promise, no more." Sue smiled gratefully. "But you guys do make the cutest couple." Sue scoffed and tossed a pillow at Lucy. A full out pillow fight erupted and continued until they were breathless with giggles.

"Thanks, I needed that."

"You know what you really need?"

"I'm afraid to ask."

"A party. We need to throw another Christmas party. We can invite the whole gang. It'll be fun! Let's see... Christmas is Friday, so let's have it on Wednesday."

"That's two days away. Do you think we can get it arranged by then?"

"Sure! We're women and we're resourceful. There's nothing we can't do."

A smile crept across Sue's face. "Okay. Two days. We can do this. I'll call Jack and invite them."

Lucy smirked.

"What?"

"Don't you realize what you just said? You said you'd call Jack and invite them." Lucy finger spelled the word for emphasis.

"No, I said I'd call the gang."

"You're hopeless. Go call."

Sue grabbed her Blackberry and punched in Jack's number. Suddenly her day was looking a lot brighter.


	2. Dec 23 5:01 pm

**Date: **5/1 is my sister's birthday.

* * *

_Spend my days in the sweet sunshine _

_Rock in my swing and watch my garden grow _

_Know that I'll always have someone to hold _

_Oh I wanna live the simple life _

_~ Carolyn Dawn Johnson :: Simple Life ~ _

**Hour follows hour… **

**12/23 5:01 pm **

"Sue?" Jack called from his desk and Levi pawed Sue's leg to get her attention. She looked up and smiled at Jack. He stood and walked over to her desk. "Looks like we're the only two left. Guess everyone's getting a head start on your party."

Sue glanced around the bullpen, taking in the empty desks, her gaze stopping at Lucy's. Suddenly her eyes went wide and whipped back to her computer screen. "It's after 5:00! I was so caught up on getting this paperwork done before the holiday… I have a ton of errands to run before the party… Lucy is going to kill me if I don't get them done!" She stood and Jack helped her into her coat.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about the party…" He trailed off and Sue's eyes grew concerned.

"You're coming, aren't you?" Jack smiled at her eager tone.

"Yeah, of course. I was just hoping I could bring someone."

Sue's face fell but she tried to recover with a tight-lipped smile. "Sure, Jack. Bobby's bringing Darcy and D…"

"No, no, not a date," as he spoke, the relief on Sue's face was so apparent it caused Jack to smile again. "My parents decided last minute to come visit me this Christmas. My sister is going to her in-laws, so it just worked out better. Their flight gets in a little after 6:00, so I was wondering if I could bring them along."

"Absolutely!" Sue was beyond relieved that Jack wanted to bring his parents along. For a moment she had convinced herself he was going to show up with Ally and was trying to brace herself for that moment. "I'd really like to meet your parents. It's about time, isn't it? After all, we've already been married and divorced and had an affair."

As they headed out the door, Jack smiled. "True. But you will always be my first and favorite wife."

"I'm not sure Tara would like to hear that." They both laughed as they reached the elevator. They were about to enter when Jack stopped suddenly, patting his coat pockets. Sue looked at him quizzically.

"I left your Christmas present in my desk," he said with a smirk. "I'm gonna go back and grab it. See you tonight."

As the elevator doors closed, Levi looked up at Sue and nudged her hand. She reached down to pet him. "I don't know what he has planned, Levi, but I can't wait to find out."

~*~*~*~

"Lucy, I think our apartment looks amazing! I can't believe we managed to pull all of this together so quickly."

"Well, we had lots of help. Tara came through with the Christmas lights and delicious desserts. Between the two of us we managed to get the rest of the food and decorations. We already had the tree." Levi barked. "Oh yes, and Levi, here, has managed to keep his tail under control. What else could we ask for?"

"Oh! I almost forgot!"

"What?" Lucy asked with trepidation.

"We're going to have two more guests. Jack's bringing his parents."

Tara and Lucy shared a glance. "Really… Jack's parents… This is a big step for you guys," Lucy tried to control the smile on her face and failed.

Tara, hand on her hip, admonished, "And to think! I was his most recent wife and he didn't even tell me they were coming! I guess D was right – the home wrecker won."

"Okay, you two, enough. Jack and I are just friends." Another glance. "We are! So behave yourselves."

"We better do as she says, Lucy. We want Sue to make a good impression on her future in-laws." Sue shot Tara her best glare. "Okay! I'm done!"

"I'm not," Lucy smirked. "And just wait until Bobby gets here."

Sue suddenly paled at the thought. "I'll be in the kitchen."

She made her escape and tried to sort out her feelings before everyone arrived. She would only admit to herself that she and Jack were more than friends, that they're kiss meant something more to her even if it hadn't to Jack. While she was running her errands, her mind had been so preoccupied she hadn't given much thought to Jack's parents and she realized that it mattered to her a great deal that they liked her. And now she was terrified of making a bad impression. She leaned against the counter and sighed, Levi coming over to comfort her. As she stroked his silky head she began to feel better.

"It'll be fine, right Levi?" She watched him bark and smiled. She crouched down to his level and ruffled the fur behind his ears. "You're the only man that I need, right boy?" Levi licked her face and she laughed. "Just you and me against the world." She glanced to her right and was surprised to see four pairs of legs at the entrance to the kitchen. She stood quickly, surprised, and brushed fur off of her dress.

"Sorry," she began. "I guess Levi didn't hear the door."

"Actually, I had opened the door to hang a wreathe I found and Jack and his parents were just coming up the hall." Levi barked again and nudged Sue. She looked to Lucy. "Now that's the door, I'll get it."

Jack walked over to Sue and handed her a beautiful floral arrangement and surprised both her and himself by giving her a kiss on the cheek as well. Sue could feel herself blushing. He looked at her for a moment, smiled, and signed "beautiful." Sue blushed further. Jack's parent's stood by watching the scene with bemused expressions on their faces.

Mrs. Hudson walked over to Sue and gave her a warm hug. When she stepped back she said, "You'll have to excuse my son, he seems to have forgotten his manners. I'm Mary, and this is John," she said gesturing to her husband.

John shook Sue's hand and smiled. "I'm not sure what Jack signed to you, but I have a feeling it was a compliment. You're more beautiful than Jack described."

"Thank you…"

"And you're still such a flirt, John," Mary said as she swatted at her husband's arm. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You're still the most beautiful woman in the room." He kissed her quickly and Sue glanced at Jack and signed, "You have wonderful parents." He smiled and returned, "I know."

Levi groaned and nuzzled against Sue. "Where are _my_ manners? This is Levi, my hearing dog."

"It's very nice to meet you, Levi," John said. Sue signaled for Levi to go over and shake John's hand. The dog did as was told and John beamed. "I don't know, Jack, the dog is certainly better trained than you are."

"Give it time, dear," said Mary. "They haven't known each other as long as you and I have." She linked her arm with Sue's and they walked into the living room. "So, how long _have_ you and Jack been together? My son's a little vague on details." Sue shot a helpless look at Jack who just shrugged.

"Well, if you ask me, I'd say they've been together since they got married, but then who am I to judge?"

"Bobby Manning! You promised to behave!" Darcy chastised.

"I would never make such a promise." Bobby strode over to the Hudsons and gave them both bear hugs. "Mom and Dad Hudson! Always a pleasure. I'd like to introduce you to my, undoubtedly, better half Darcy D'Angelo."

"It's nice to meet you both," Darcy smiled.

Mary turned to her son. "Jack? When did you get married?"

Sue looked like she wanted to crawl into a corner and die. Jack was glaring at Bobby.

"Well," Tara chimed in, "he was married to me for a little while before Sue stole him away! I'm still waiting for justice."

"Yeah, but he was married to Sue first," Bobby offered.

Mary looked from Jack to Sue to her husband finding no help whatsoever. Finally, Lucy broke in offering the explanation. "They're talking about undercover assignments. Jack and Sue went undercover for an investigation last fall. And just a few weeks ago they went undercover as a lawyer and his assistant."

"And I was the wife," Tara continued, "but Jack was cheating on me."

John laughed. "That doesn't sound like my son."

"It was just with Sue, so it's okay," Bobby added, provoking a smack from Darcy.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack asked.

"Well, you never did explain exactly what you two were doing in the office after hours…"

"Okay, okay… You know? I'm hungry. Sue? Need some help in the kitchen?"

Sue smiled at him, grateful for the distraction. As they headed into the kitchen, Jack heard Bobby continuing. "There's a wedding album around here somewhere from Sparky and Sue's wedding…" Jack groaned and muttered "Oh, no…"

Sue turned to him and signed "What?" He responded with, "Believe me, you don't want to know."

~*~*~*~

The wedding album was found, and poured over, and laughed at. Sue kept herself busy in the kitchen, and after recovering from the initial shock of Bobby's announcement she had relaxed enough to have a wonderful evening.

Seeing Sue alone in the kitchen, Mary took the opportunity to have a little talk with the woman she could see had stolen her son's heart.

"Sue?" she called softly, then not getting a response she realized her mistake and went over and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. Sue looked up from arranging cookies on a plate and smiled. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Sure," Sue responded, dusting of her hands on a towel. "What is it?"

Mary presented Sue with a picture she had forgotten she had. It was a candid of her and Jack taken in O'Neil's shortly before Wes had died. She remembered that night – having fun with the boys, playing pool, and laughing hard at old stories about Jack and Bobby. Bobby had actually taken the picture. He'd brought along the camera just for fun and cornered Jack and Sue at one of the pool tables. Sue was holding the cue and looking very pleased with herself for having just sunk a shot. When he saw the camera, Jack had thrown his arm around Sue's shoulder, pulling her close, and pointing toward the camera. She had allowed herself to lean into him and relax in his embrace. Their smiles lit up the picture.

Bobby had given her the shot a few weeks after Wes died. He'd gotten the pictures developed and framed the picture of he and Jack and Wes to go on the wall of the bar. The shot of Jack and Sue he had tossed on her desk with a flip "I told you that you guys make a cute couple." She had meant to get it framed but must have gotten caught up in all of their new cases and forgot.

Sue took the picture from Mary and smiled. "Where did you find this?"

"It was tucked in the back of the photo album. I was hoping that you would get a copy made for me. That way when I sit back in Wisconsin and worry about my son not having anyone to take care of him I'll be reminded that he has you." Sue was about to speak but Mary continued. "I don't know exactly what is going on between you and Jack what with all of the fake marriages, affairs, and who knows what in office buildings. But I do know that he's happier than I have ever seen him and it's plain to me that you're responsible for that. I can tell that he's very lucky to have you."

Sue felt tears spring to her eyes as Mary spoke. When she finished, Sue signed a heartfelt "Thank you."

Mary smiled. "I recognize that one. How do you sign 'you're welcome'?" Sue showed her and when she repeated the sign correctly, Sue nodded.

Jack came into the kitchen as Mary reached out to Sue and they hugged. "Am I interrupting anything?" he asked his mother. She shook her head "no" and Sue turned around to see who Mary was talking to. She spotted Jack and wiped away the few stray tears that had managed to escape. "We were beginning to think that you two had gotten swallowed up by the kitchen. Tara's out there regaling everyone with her phrase origins again. I think we need to plan a rescue."

"This should do it," Sue said, smiling as she picked up the dessert trays and went into the living room.

"Everything okay, Mom?" Jack asked after Sue had left.

"If you let that girl get away, Jack, I just might have you committed."

~*~*~*~

Jack and Sue were back in the kitchen, this time washing dishes. The party had ended a few minutes ago, but Jack and his parents had remained to help clean up.

"I really like your parents, Jack."

"Yeah, they're pretty great. I can tell that they really like you, too. They've already made you a member of our family."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Well," Sue smirked, "What's not to like?"

Jack leaned against the counter and dried his hands on a towel. "I'll agree with that." Sue smiled in return.

"So, Sue," Mary said, entering the kitchen. "What are you plans for Christmas? Are you going home?"

"Not until Christmas day. We were so caught up in cases the last few weeks, I waited until the last minute to book, so I'm not flying out until 4:00 on Sunday."

"We can't have you spending Christmas alone!"

"I won't be alone. Lucy's not leaving until tomorrow evening. I was planning on going to midnight mass and then sleeping in before catching my flight. I'll be fine."

"Absolutely not!" Mary exclaimed. "You must spend the holiday with us. You don't mind, do you, Jack?"

"No! Not at all. I can pick you up tomorrow and take you to the airport on Sunday. That way you won't have to worry about parking your car."

Sue cast a glance at Lucy who was grinning broadly. Lucy signed, "Say yes! Christmas with Jack. What more do you want?"

She looked back to Jack. "Okay, sure, that sounds like fun! Um… Pick me up around five?"

Jack nodded and Mary clapped her hands together. "Wonderful. We'll have dinner and go to church together." She walked over to Sue and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good night, dear. Thanks for a wonderful evening."

John gave Sue a quick hug. "We'll see you tomorrow, then." He shook Lucy's hand and went with Mary and Lucy to get their coats.

"I hope my mother wasn't too forward."

"I hope you don't mind my intruding."

Jack took Sue's hands into his. "You're never an intrusion." Sue flushed.

He turned around to leave and Sue called after him. "Jack! Wait!"

He turned back to her. Sue grinned mischievously. "When do I get my gift?"

"Not until Christmas." Jack said. Before he lost his nerve, Jack leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. "I'll see you tomorrow."


	3. Dec 24 4:07 pm

**Date:** 4/7 is my friend Kenny's birthday.

* * *

_Don't fool yourself  
Into thinking things are simple  
Nobody's lying still the stories don't line up  
Why do you try to hold on  
To what you'll never get a hold on  
You wouldn't try to put the ocean  
In a paper cup _

_~ Ani DiFranco :: Hour Follows Hour ~_

Hour follows hour…

**12/24 4:07 pm**

"Did you get all of your shopping done?" Lucy asked as a weary Sue dropped her bags to the floor and collapsed on the couch.

"Yes. Finally. I even found some nice things for Jack's parents."

"I'm sure you didn't have to get them anything."

"I know, but I wanted to. I mean, they did invite me to spend Christmas with them. I still feel like I'm intruding."

"Are you kidding? I saw Jack kiss you yesterday." Sue's eyes went wide and she blushed furiously. "I have a feeling that all Jack wants for Christmas is you."

"Lucy!"

"What? I think it's about time you admitted your feelings for Jack to someone. And who better than me?"

"I haven't even admitted it to myself, Lucy, because it just can't be."

"What do you mean?"

"The rules at work. We can't work together and date each other. It's against policy."

"It's a dumb policy."

"Even so, it's the rules. And I just don't see Ted bending the rules. Even for us. So it really doesn't matter that I'm in love with Jack because right now I don't think either of us are ready to give up our jobs." Sue sighed again, feeling defeated, and looked at Lucy who looked happier than she had seen her in a long time. "What? What are you so happy about?"

"Well, you can cross off the whole admitted to yourself thing."

"What do you mean?"

"You just said you are in love with Jack."

"I did?" Lucy nodded. "I did." She spoke slowly turning the words over in her mouth. "I'm in love with Jack."

Lucy squealed. "You're in love with Jack!"

"This is terrible."

"This is fantastic!" Lucy stood, clapping her hands together in joy, before turning back to face Sue. "Wait, why is this terrible?"

"I just told you. Even if Jack feels the same…"

"Which he does," Lucy interrupted.

"We can't be together. Not if we both want to continue working at the FBI."

"Sure you can."

"How?"

"I don't know yet, but we'll find a way." She glanced at her watch and then back at Sue. "I have to get going or I'm going to be late. Just do me a favor. Have fun with Jack and his parents. Relax and enjoy the holiday. Don't think about work or policies or anything like that. Talk to Jack, try and find out how he feels about you - which I already know, anyway - and when you get back from Ohio we can formulate a plan."

"Formulate a plan?"

"Just humor me."

Sue looked at her for a moment, shrugged, and finally signed, "Okay."

~*~*~*~

She went through about five different outfits before finally settling on a light pink cashmere sweater and black pants. Lucy had given her the sweater for Christmas, a velvety soft V-neck that dipped down far lower than anything else Sue owned. Lucy had chuckled at Sue's shocked face and had told her she needed to loosen up. "Well," Sue shrugged mentally, "better now than later." She pulled on her favorite black boots, ran her fingers through her hair – down, as Jack liked it – and after glancing in the mirror one last time, called the outfit a success.

"What do you think, Levi," she asked as she gave a twirl. The dog came running toward her, but Sue stopped him before her pants became mottled with auburn dog hair. Levi had stopped, but he continued barking and it took Sue a second to realize Jack must be at the door.

When Sue opened the door, Jack felt for a brief moment as if he was having another heart attack. Sue smiled at him and said "hello" but it took Jack's brain a few extra seconds to register and she blushed as Jack stared at her.

"Wow, you look… Wow."

_Thank you_, Sue signed, still flustered by the raw attraction she saw on Jack's face.

Jack couldn't help himself, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips, a slow, passionate kiss that warmed Sue from the inside out. She had been kissed before, kissed by Jack before, but never like this.

The kiss ended too soon for Sue, who would have stayed in that moment forever if she had the choice. Jack pulled back slowly and studied Sue's face trying to gauge her reaction. She looked surprised, but not angry. Definitely not angry. In fact, she kind of looked like she wanted to be kissed again. And Jack was tempted, but he was beginning to think if he kissed her again they would never make it to his apartment and his awaiting parents.

"We should probably go," he said slowly. "My parents are probably wondering where we are."

"Yeah," Sue said softly, realizing Jack was right. She gathered up her things, still trying to sort out in her mind what just happened. Somehow it all felt like a dream, but as she reached over to pick up her purse, she saw Jack, crouched down and petting Levi, and she knew it was real. "I think this is everything," she said as she stood, loaded down with bags.

She headed for the door then stopped suddenly. "Oh, can you grab Levi?"

Jack reached out and touched Sue's arm so she would turn around. She had her purse over one shoulder, a carry-on bag in her right hand and another bag full of Christmas gifts in her left. She looked as if a strong breeze would knock her out of her precarious balance. Jack smiled.

"You are beautiful," he signed.

Sue flushed both from the compliment and from the way Jack was looking at her. He made her feel beautiful and attractive and loved. And he did it just by looking at her.

After a moment, she smiled softly. "I'd sign 'thank you' in return, but I'm afraid that's not possible at this moment." Jack chuckled, picked up her suitcase, Levi's leash, and locked the door behind them.

~*~*~*~

On their way to Jack's, a light snow began to fall. By the time they arrived, large, wet snowflakes drifted to the ground in droves. The air was crisp and clean, winter cold masking the normal big city smell.

Jack laughed as Sue stuck out her tongue to try and catch a snowflake. "You realize that's DC snow you're ingesting," he said.

Sue cringed but continued with her game. "You're only young once," she shrugged as she caught another flake. Well, since her tongue was out while she spoke, it really sounded more like "Or own-wee ung unce" which made Jack laugh harder.

Sue watched him speak out of the corner of her eye. "Do you think we could go inside before you consume the entire snowstorm? It's freezing out here."

Sue lowered her head and stuck her tongue out at Jack. "Spoil sport," she grinned as they headed inside.

The warmth of Jack's apartment was a welcome change from the frigid air outside, as were the warm hugs from John and Mary Hudson. Sue embraced them gladly.

"Thank you, again, for inviting me. The more I thought about it the less I wanted to spend tonight alone."

"Think nothing of it, dear," Mary said as she helped Sue with her bags. "We are so happy to spend the holiday with you."

Sue smiled and looked at Jack. "So am I."

Jack took their coats and hung them up, giving Sue a quick kiss on the cheek as he headed into the living room. Sue signed something to Jack and then Jack signed back, their hands flying, as John and Mary looked on. Finally, they stopped, Sue pouting and Jack with a smirk on his face.

"Mind filling the rest of us in?" Mary asked.

"Oh, sorry, Mom," Jack chuckled. "Sue asked me when she gets her Christmas present."

"And Jack asked me how I knew I was getting one – he said he wanted to know if I'd been a good girl this year."

"I'm sure you've been better than Jack," John chimed in. "Well, definitely a better girl than Jack, but I'm sure you've also been better behaved."

Jack and Sue both laughed. "That's what I told him," Sue continued. "I said that I know I've at least been better than you, Sparky," she added, finger spelling the name.

"What's that?" asked Mary.

"Sparky," Sue responded, saying the name and spelling it slowly. Mary mimicked her. "That's right."

"How did you come by this nickname, Jack?"

"Well, Mom, it was divined upon me by Bobby. Why, I don't really know, but unfortunately, it's stuck."

"Suiting, somehow," John said as he draped his arm around Jack's shoulder.

"Thanks, Dad. Appreciate it."

"Anytime."

"So, who's hungry? Dinner is just about ready. Since you're leaving early afternoon tomorrow, I went ahead and prepared Christmas dinner for tonight."

John moved away from his son to wrap both arms around his wife's waist. "Mary is the best cook this side of the Atlantic and she has prepared a feast."

"Why thank you, John, but that still isn't going to get you out of washing the dishes. You know the rules."

"Whoever doesn't cook does the dishes," Sue offered.

"Oh, you had the same rules at your house?" Mary asked.

"No, actually, when Jack and I were married… lived together… were undercover he explained the rules to me."

John and Mary smiled at each other and then at the flustered Sue. "Well that's nice, glad that Jack learned something growing up."

"It's a start, Mary, it's a start." They headed off to the kitchen and Sue burst out in laughter.

"I really love your parents, Jack. I can see where you get your sense of humor."

Jack acted hurt. "Thanks for not standing up for me! I made a damn good husband."

Sue looked thoughtful for a moment. "Eh, you were okay."

"Okay? Just okay? That's it, you're in trouble." Jack came after her and chased her around the living room, finally catching her from behind and tickling her sides.

"I give up! I give up!" Sue said between bursts of laughter. "You win."

Jack spun her around I his arms so she could see what he was saying.

"What was that? I what?"

"You…" Sue held Jack's gaze and leaned in, resting her head on his shoulder. Jack tightened his embrace and relaxed. Sue took advantage of the moment and slowly lowered her arms to Jack's waist. Before he knew what was happening, Sue began tickling him. Caught off guard, Jack double over laughing and Sue escaped.

When Jack caught up with her, she had made her way into the kitchen. "That wasn't very fair," he pouted.

Sue grinned and signed something. Jack begrudgingly agreed. "Yeah, you're right. Life's not fair."

"Am I going to have to sit you two at opposite ends of the table or will you be able to behave yourselves?" Mary teased. She loved watching Jack and Sue flirt and banter, knowing full well they were each trying to fight the attraction they felt for each other. She knew the regulations at work, knew they weren't supposed to date, which is why she cherished this Christmas so much. They could be together, completely together, without the watchful eye of the FBI over their shoulders.

They sat down to dinner, which was as delicious as promised, and told stories from Christmases past and had an altogether wonderful time. After dinner, Sue stood with the men to help clean up, but Mary stopped her. "Consider it an early Christmas gift from Jack. Let's go into the living room and chat." John and Jack gathered up the dishes and set to work in the kitchen while Sue and Mary relaxed with a glass of wine.

"So, Jack, you've been studiously avoiding talking about Sue."

"How so?"

John set down the dishtowel and faced his son. "Just like that. You seem crazy about each other, but you still insist you're 'just friends.' That can't be all that you want."

Jack rinsed the last dish, loaded it in the dishwasher, and shut the door. He looked to his father. "No, it's not. But it's all I've got right now and it's better than nothing."

"You can't keep going on like this forever. You're either going to spontaneously combust or someone else is going to come along and steal Sue away from you. She's a wonderful woman."

"I know that," Jack said sharply. "I know," softer. "It's just that right now neither of us are ready to leave our jobs. When it gets to that point, I hope we can face it together."

John pulled his son into a hug. "I'm proud of you, Jack."

"For what?"

"Just let your father be melodramatic for a moment, will you?"

"Sure, Dad. Man, you're getting mellow in your old age."

"Oh, really?" John pulled Jack into a headlock and tugged at his hair. "You know, I used to have a full head of hair like you do."

~*~*~*~

In the other room, Mary was having a much more direct conversation with Sue.

"You're in love with my son, aren't you?"

Flabbergasted, Sue looked from Mary to the kitchen, back to Mary, and back to the kitchen. "Uh… Well…"

"That answers that," Mary smiled. "I am _so_ glad."

Sue let out a deep breath and smiled back. Mary reached over and hugged her. When she let go, she took Sue's chin into her hand. "He loves you, you know that, don't you?"

Sue's eyes filled with tears but before she could respond, the men came back into the room. Sue stood quickly and walked over to the window, wiping away her tears and gazing out at the snowstorm.

She felt a hand on her back and she knew it was Jack. She turned to face him. "You okay?" he asked touching her cheek.

"Better than okay."

"Good. It's time for gifts." Sue's eyes shone with excitement. Jack chuckled. "Not big gifts. We're doing our family tradition. We each get to open one gift on Christmas Eve before church. The rest wait for Christmas day."

"I'll take what I can get." Sue walked over to her bag and rifled through, pulling out three gifts. "I'm ready."

"You're really into Christmas, aren't you?"

"Of course! It's one of the most important holy days, includes a beautiful mass, and you get presents."

"At least you have your priorities straight."

Before Sue could respond, Mary called them over to the living room.

"Sue, why don't you go first." Mary began to go for a gift, but Sue handed her one instead. "Oh, thank you. I meant you could open first."

"No, you go ahead," she said smiling as she handed John and Jack each of their gifts.

"This is just lovely," Mary exclaimed, opening her gift. It was the picture of Jack and Sue that she had found at the Christmas party. Sue had it cropped and enlarged and put in a silver frame that was etched with a fine floral design. Mary showed the picture to John who looked at it appreciatively. "You do make one good looking couple. Well, at least half of you do."

"Hey!" Jack threw a pillow at his father in protest.

"Open your gift, John," Mary said, "and keep your mouth shut for a change." John grinned and kissed his wife on the cheek.

"She always keeps me on my toes." He unwrapped his package and chuckled. "_A Sort of History of the United States_?"

"Jack said you were a history buff, so I figured you would like this book. It's hysterical."

John turned the first few pages. "Everything in history takes place on October 8th. How convenient." He read some more and guffawed. "Leave it to Dave Barry. This is great, thank you."

Jack was turning his gift over in his hands, surprised at the weight of it. "Go ahead, open it," Sue said.

Jack carefully peeled off the wrapping paper and revealed a small box. He opened it and looked at Sue, confused. "A Detroit Redwings hockey puck?"

"They are your favorite team, aren't they?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"Just consider it a hint," she grinned.

Mary handed Jack and Sue their gifts. Jack opened his revealing a gray and black sweater. "Thanks, Mom, just what every boy wants. Clothes."

"Stop being such a smarty pants. You're hard to shop for."

Jack gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. "I know." He sat back down and held the sweater up to his chest. "I like it."

"Well, I'm glad. Go ahead and open yours, Sue. It's just something little."

Sue opened up her package revealing a small silver and crystal broche in the shape of a flower. "It's beautiful. Thank you." She stood and hugged Mary, handing her the pin so she could help her put it on. "I love it. It's absolutely perfect." She sat back down next to Jack and he threw his arm around her shoulders.

"My turn." He handed her a box, which felt heavy, and she wondered if they'd duplicated Christmas gifts again this year. Somehow, she doubted Jack had given her a hockey puck. She waited for Jack's parents to open their gift first. He gave them a gift certificate for a local restaurant. "I figured you could have lunch there one of the days I'm working."

"How thoughtful," Mary smiled.

"Yeah, thanks, son."

"No problem."

Not able to stand the suspense anymore, Sue ripped into her gift revealing a pretty red velvet box. Her eyes darted to Jack. He was grinning but his expression revealed nothing. Sue slowly opened the box and revealed a Lennox crystal jewelry box in the shape of a heart. She looked at Jack again, surprised.

"Just consider it a hint," he said with a smirk. Sue stared at him.

"Let me see, Sue." Jack pointed in Mary's direction and signed "wants to see." Sue turned and showed her the jewelry box. "That's beautiful. And a Lennox. You have good taste, Jack."

Sue was still trying to process what Jack had said. If a jewelry box was a hint… that clearly implied jewelry was her gift. And jewelry implied a lot more. It certainly implied a lot more than "just friends."

"Well, kids, I don't know about you but we old people are going to need a little rest if we're going to make it through midnight mass." John stood and held out his hand for Mary, who took it and stood as well.

"I'm okay. How about you?"

"I'm fine. I really should take Levi out for a walk before we go anyway."

"Sounds like a plan. Just make sure that your father and I are up by 10:00."

"Will do." Jack stood and mimicked his father's actions by reaching his hand out for Sue. She looked up at him for a moment before she took his hand and stood.

"A hint, huh?" she said.

"Torture, isn't it?"


	4. Dec 24 8:29 pm

**Date: **8/29 is my birthday! Also Michael Jackson's. And Slobidan Milosovic's. Um. No relation. Just coincidence.

* * *

_I want to walk with you  
On a cloudy day  
In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high  
So won't you try to come_

Come away with me and we'll kiss  
On a mountaintop  
Come away with me  
And I'll never stop loving you

_~ Norah Jones :: Come Away with Me ~ _

Hour follows hour…

**12/24 8:29 pm **

They bundled up in coats and scarves and hats and gloves and headed out into what was now a capital winter wonderland. Sue always loved snow in the city because it made everything seem so clean and bright. They walked along, Sue with Levi on the leash and Jack by her side. After a block or so, Jack linked his arm with Sue's, holding hands problematic with their bulky gloves.

"Remind me to thank my mom when we get back."

"For what?"

"Inviting you to come spend Christmas with us." And Jack looked at her in that way that made her stomach flutter and she felt herself flush, glad for the cold temperatures that had already redden her cheeks.

"I would have to say that so far this is turning out to be one of my favorite Christmases."

"And think, it's not even half over yet."

"That's a nice thought."

They arrived at a park and Sue glanced around to see if any other people were around before letting Levi off of his leash. Jack found a stick and began to play fetch with the dog when something hard hit him on the back. He heard Sue laugh and when he turned around she was on the run. He scooped up a handful of snow, packed it into a ball, and threw it toward her. She ducked and it missed. They chased each other around the park, snowballs flying, Levi occasionally getting in on the action by catching a snowball mid air.

Jack finally caught up with Sue, half-tackling her and bringing them both to the ground. He was happy for the foot of snow that padded their fall. Sue lie on her back and Jack, lying on his side, was half on top of her. They were both laughing hysterically until they realized just how close they were to each other. Jack didn't move, just gently brushed her hair out of her face and stared into her soft brown eyes.

"Sue, I…"

She cut him off with a kiss, not wanting to hear the words, not wanting to have to face the consequences that went with those words. She just wanted to live in the moment, feel what she was feeling, and not remember that their jobs forbid them from being together.

Across the street, a man watched the couple – lovers in the snow – and teemed with rage.

~*~*~*~

Sue pulled back from the kiss, but Jack came after her again. Before he could re-connect, she gently pushed him away. "We need to stop doing this."

"Why?" Confused.

"There are any number of reasons, but the most important being I'd rather not give your neighbors a free show," she gestured to the dozen apartment buildings near the park. "They should be watching _It's a Wonderful Life_ right now, not 'The Jack and Sue Show'."

"Good point." Jack stood and proffered a hand to help Sue up. She stood, brushing the snow off of her pants, and put Levi back on his leash. "I guess we should get back."

"Yeah, it's almost 10:00."

Jack linked his arm with hers as they walked back. When they were a half a block from his apartment, he stopped and faced Sue. "You said there were any number of reasons. What are the other reasons?"

Caught off guard, Sue stalled. "What?"

"You know what I mean. When you stopped kissing me. You said there were a number of reasons why we shouldn't be kissing. What are the other reasons?"

"Oh, that… I don't know, it was just something I said." Sue wondered why she was always so afraid of telling Jack how she really felt about him.

"I don't believe you."

"Jack…"

"Just tell me."

She sighed in defeat and thought for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "You know the regulations at work."

"Unfortunately," Jack sighed.

"Well, we're not at work right now. It's my favorite time of year, the snow is falling, and I get to spend Christmas with my best friend. I don't want to have to think about the consequences. I just want to have today and tomorrow because as soon as I get back from vacation, it's back to reality.

"We… Have this thing. I don't know what it is, but it's something. And I'm also trying to figure that out. I guess what I'm trying to say is every time you…" Jack leaned in and kissed her again and Sue felt her knees wobble from the intensity of it. "Kiss me I can't think," she continued, breathlessly.

Jack chuckled. "From my perspective, we need to make the most of what time we have left together out of sight of the F.B.I. And that means kissing you as much as possible, as long as you don't mind, of course."

"No!" Sue blushed. "I don't mind at all." Jack wrapped his arm around her waist and they went inside.

~*~*~*~

"I need to change my pants. They're a little too wet for church." Sue unhooked Levi's leash and hung up her coat.

"Your suitcase is in my bedroom. I'm going to make sure my parents are up."

Sue walked into Jack's bedroom and found her suitcase on a chair in the corner. She walked over to it, but stopped mid-step realizing exactly where she was. Jack's bedroom. She turned and stared at the bed for a minute. It was king-sized and looked exceedingly comfortable. Sue fought the temptation to give it a test run. Instead, she forced her eyes to travel around the room. The furniture was masculine, but refined. Dark cherry wood headboard, nightstand, dresser. The requisite television in one corner.

Some pictures on the nightstand drew her attention and she walked over to get a closer look. One was Jack and a little girl who Sue figured to be his sister, Elizabeth. Jack looked to be about 4 and he was carefully balancing the toddler Elizabeth in his lap. Next to that picture was a candid from one of their many flag football games, although Sue didn't recognize the shot. It was the whole group of them – Myles, Jack, D, Bobby, Tara, Lucy – and the photographer hadn't centered the shot very well. Everyone was off to the right, and Sue could just make out one more person in the picture, half cut-off. It was David. She'd remembered that day, it was fairly early on in her relationship with David and he was getting used to hanging out with the gang.

Sue noticed that everyone in the group was staring at the camera except for Jack. He was grinning, but he was looking right at her. She picked up the picture to get a closer look and plunked down on the bed. Had Jack known for that long? The picture was nearly a year old, taken not too long after their little marriage experiment. But then Sue realized that that was when she knew, when she realized that she could put up with Jack 24 hours a day. When she realized she _wanted_ to put up with Jack for that long. She smiled and brushed her fingers along where Jack stood before returning the frame to the table.

She rummaged through her suitcase, finding a suitable pair of gray slacks that would prevent her from having to change any more clothes and shut the door so she could change. When she finished, she walked over to the mirror and frowned at her hair. Between the snowball fight and their tousle on the ground, her hair was a mess of knots. She picked up her brush and began to comb through her hair.

Jack made sure Mary and John were awake before he went to his room and found the door shut. Not wanting to catch Sue in a state of undress – well, not wanting to at this point and time anyway – he sent Levi in to give her a heads up. Sue noticed a change in light to her right and looked down to see Levi scampering in. Her eyes traveled up and she saw Jack's waving hand. She grinned. "You can come in. I'm dressed."

He swung the door open and leaned against the doorframe. "Not the answer I was hoping for," he smirked.

Sue outwardly ignored him, but felt that familiar warmth in her middle. She continued to brush her hair, having detangled as well as she could. Now she was trying to decide what to do with it. Jack sat on the bed for a moment and watched her.

"What are you trying to do?" Sue read his lips in the reflection in the mirror.

"I don't know. I was thinking about pulling it up."

"I like it down."

"I know you do."

"Here, let me try." Jack stood and walked behind her. A bemused expression on her face, Sue watched as Jack parted her hair into three parts, twisted each part, and piled it into a disheveled mess on top of her head.

"Not exactly the look I was going for."

"Probably not, but it does give me space to do this." He bent his head down and kissed the back of her neck near her collarbone. Somehow, on his first try, Jack found one of her favorite spots. Sue gasped and clutched the dresser to steady herself, feeling her face flush. "Wow. I need to remember that." He was going to kiss her again when Sue spun around, releasing his hold on her hair.

"Oh no, no more. We have to go to church. This is not what we should be doing before we go to church."

Jack chuckled and sat back down on the bed. "Okay. You're right."

Sue went back to brushing her hair, concentrating on each stroke, trying to settle her racing heart.

~*~*~*~

"Where are we going to mass?" Mary asked as they emerged from the bedroom minutes later.

"I like to go to St. Paul's. It's a beautiful church and they have an interpreter. Makes mass a lot easier."

"Sounds like a plan," Jack said as he helped Sue into her coat. Levi came over and nuzzled their legs. "Sorry boy, you have to stay here and guard the Christmas presents. Do you think you're up to the task?" Levi barked. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Is the church within walking distance?"

"Yep. It's just a couple of blocks away. And with the amount of snow out there, driving would pose quite a problem."

"I hope you're able to get out tomorrow," Mary said, concerned.

"Me, too."

Jack was thinking he wouldn't mind being stranded with Sue for all eternity, but having his parents around might dampen the mood a bit. "Well," he said, "we should probably get going."

The foursome walked the few blocks to St. Paul the Apostle Church. It was a beautiful church, stained glass, polished granite and marble, built in the late 1800s. They entered the church and Sue directed them to a section of rows near the front.

"One of the bonuses about being deaf," she said, gesturing toward the pews, "is preferential seating."

They entered the pew, Jack first, then Sue, Mary, and finally John. As they sat, Sue noticed one of her friends in the next row. She stood back up and gently touched her on the shoulder. The friends hugged and began to sign. Jack, although he didn't want to intrude, attempted to follow along but was quickly lost.

"So you know who that is?" Mary asked.

"I think it's a friend. I'm a little lost. I may know some sign language, but not that much." He tried to watch again. "I recognize that sign," he said as Sue signed his name. Her friend signed, "Jack?" then glanced his way. His eyes darted to the side, and he blushed, realizing he'd been discovered. He missed Sue's friend add, "He's cute."

Sue turned back to Jack. "I'd like you to meet someone."

Jack stood and offered his hand. Sue's friend shook it. "This is Sarah Gardner. She only signs, so you get to practice."

"Nice to meet you," Jack signed.

"Nice to meet you, too. I've heard so much about you."

Jack glanced nervously at Sue. "All good, I hope." He threw his arm around her shoulders.

"Of course. But I was just telling Sue she failed to mention how cute you are. I guess she just wants to keep you for herself. Not that I blame her."

Sue flushed and Jack kissed her on the temple. He brought his arm back down so he could sign. "The feeling is…" he paused, trying to think of a sign. In the end, he finger spelled "mutual."

"I can see that."

More people filtered into the church as Sue, Jack, and Sarah continued talking. Then off to the left a familiar face appeared. Jack noticed him first and draped his arm back around Sue's shoulders. Sue glanced at him and then followed his eyes to where David stood. She smiled and waved him over.

"It's good to see you, David," Sue spoke and signed for Sarah's benefit.

"Good to see you, too."

David and Jack shook hands, Jack keeping his left arm around Sue, just lowering it to her waist. Sue had to bite her tongue not to call Jack on his sudden possessiveness. Jack introduced both Sarah and David to his parents and the group made small talk until the carols started indicating mass was going to begin.

"I should go find a seat. I just wanted to say 'hi'." He turned to leave but Sue called after him.

"David…" but she didn't know what to say.

He smiled. "I'm really happy for you, Sue. You look like you're doing great. Merry Christmas."

Sue smiled sweetly. "Merry Christmas," she signed.

Sarah gave her a look and Sue signed back, "Everything is fine."

Mary was whispering to Jack, "Who is that?"

"Sue's last boyfriend."

"Oh." She paused. "When did they break up?"

"I don't know."

"Oh."

"You said that already."

Mary glared at him. "Let's sit, shall we?"

They plunked down into their seats as the opening processional began. A woman walked up to the left of the altar and began signing, a half a second behind the speaker.

"Our opening hymn will be 'Joy to the World'."

The music began, loud and lively, and soon the choir joined in causing goosebumps to form on Jack's arms. He looked at Sue, at her eyes on the interpreter, and tried to imagine what it would be like not to hear. He'd thought about it before, many times since meeting Sue. He'd once even bought heavy-duty earplugs and wore them for an entire weekend. It had made him much more aware of the difficulties that faced Sue and much more interested in learning ASL, but he hadn't imagined what it would be like to sit in a church on Christmas Eve and not hear the carols.

Sue turned, sensing he was looking at her.

"What?" she signed.

"You can't hear the music." Jack cringed after he signed, realizing how stupid that sounded, but Sue just smiled.

"But I can feel it." She took his hand and Jack tried to understand what she meant. He watched the interpreter, whose signs were beautiful and emotive. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the music, sensing in the air the vibrations of the instruments and of a thousand people singing. He opened his eyes and looked again at Sue. He could feel it. He gently kissed her on the cheek and focused on the mass.

~*~*~*~

As the mass ended, everybody went about putting on their winter gear. They said their goodbyes to Sarah and headed back to Jack's apartment. Once they arrived, Jack's parents kissed the children – as they had secretly begun to call them – and went to bed.

Still energized from the brisk walk home and the amazing mass, neither Jack nor Sue felt much like sleeping.

"How does hot chocolate and an old Christmas movie sound?" Jack asked as Sue settled down on the couch.

"Perfect," Sue responded with a smile. She flipped the channels on the television, finally finding a movie that she enjoyed that was also captioned. Jack returned moments later with steaming mugs of hot chocolate.

They sipped their drinks and watched the remake of _Miracle on 34__th__ Street_, which Sue enjoyed because of the signing Kris Kringle. When they finished, the both set their mugs on the coffee table. Jack had a couch with recliners at either end, so he popped out the footrest and got comfortable. Sue, who had been perched in the middle of the couch, looked at him. He smiled and propped his right arm on the back of the couch, an invitation for Sue to lean against him. She settled in, perfectly fitting against his frame, and Jack linked his arms around her. And Christmas dawned on them as they slept peacefully in each other's arms.


	5. Dec 25 9:08 am

**Date:** 9/8 is my parents' anniversary and my friend Sharon's birthday.

* * *

_It's so complicated - I'm so frustrated _

_I wanna hold you close- I wanna push you away _

_I wanna make you go - I wanna make you stay _

_Should I say it - Should I tell you how I feel? _

_Oh, I want you to know - But then again I don't _

_It's so complicated._

_~ Carolyn Dawn Johnson :: Complicated ~ _

**Hour Follows Hour… **

**12/25 9:08 am**

Mary and John woke first, wishing each other a Merry Christmas before getting out of bed. As Mary passed Jack's room, she glanced in and was surprised to find the bed empty. She figured that Sue was already up, but as she made her way into the living room, she realized it was awfully quiet if Jack and Sue were awake. Puzzled, she continued toward the kitchen and stopped short when she saw the sleeping figures on the couch. "John!" she whispered. "Bring the camera."

John came out of the bedroom. "What?"

"Shhh. They're sleeping. Don't they look adorable?" John just shook his head. "What?"

"Come on, Mary, you don't want to wake them up." He took his wife by the hand and led her into the kitchen.

His parents didn't realize that Jack was already awake and listening to their exchange. When he heard them leave, he tentatively opened an eye to verify the room was empty. He slowly opened his other eye and looked down at the still sleeping Sue. They hadn't changed positions much since last night and Jack could feel the stiffness in his neck, but he didn't care. He was just happy to have Sue in his arms.

He felt her stir and tightened his grip around her waist. She responded by nuzzling in closer. They both lay there for a few minutes, Sue now awake and enjoying the warmth of Jack.

Mary returned to the living room with two cups of coffee and smiled at the sleepy twosome.

"Good morning," she said softly. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Mom."

Sue signed, "Merry Christmas" as well.

"You sleep okay?"

"Very well, actually," Sue said, sitting up and stretching. "What time is it?"

"A little after 9." Mary handed them the cups of coffee to their grateful acknowledgements. "Dad is making breakfast and then we can open gifts. It looks like Santa came last night." Mary gestured to the tree where she and John had placed all the gifts.

Jack and Sue both smiled. "Figure out your hint yet?" Jack asked.

"Maybe," Sue smirked. "You?"

"Maybe."

John came out from the kitchen announcing that breakfast was ready. They feasted on pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, bagels, and fruit, until Sue thought she would explode. She and Jack cleaned the dishes while John and Mary organized the gifts into piles.

Jack finished drying the last dish and flicked the towel at Sue. "Hey!" She spun around and snatched the towel from him.

"You're quick."

"I am a woman of many talents."

"Of that, I am very aware." Jack closed the space between them and kissed her passionately. "Consider that your first gift."

"That was a pretty good gift, but I think you can do better."

"Oh, really?" Jack wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing their bodies together, and slowly moved toward her lips. He changed directions on her at the last second, quickly sweeping away her hair and planting another kiss on her neck. Sue felt her knees wobble and she pushed him away.

"That wasn't fair."

"We've already talked about this."

"Life's not fair," they said in unison.

"Am I interrupting?" John popped his head into the kitchen. Sue followed Jack's gaze.

"No, are we ready?"

"Yep. We're going to call your sister first and then it's time for gifts."

"Sounds like a plan."

They called Elizabeth and wished her a Merry Christmas then offered their greetings to her husband Kevin, and their children Scottie, 5, and Emma, 2.

Then they sat down in the living room, each next to their pile of gifts, and began opening. Sue was amazed at the similarities between how Jack's family and her family celebrated Christmas. She watched the others open their gifts, seeing their looks of joy, and felt true happiness.

"Sue, you are far too generous," Mary said, opening the gifts she had given her.

"It's not much, really," Sue smiled. "Open that one," she gestured to a box on the floor. "It's for the both of you."

Mary unwrapped the box and opened it, revealing a snow globe with a picturesque DC landscape inside of it.

"I'm told it plays 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," but I had to trust the sales guy on that one," she smiled. "I thought it would be a nice reminder of Jack and of spending Christmas in the city."

"And of you, dear," said Mary, moved. "This is wonderful." She stood and gave Sue a warm hug.

"Jack, you found a good one," John offered.

"I know," Jack smiled.

"I'm afraid our gifts are far less thoughtful," Mary said.

"They're great," Sue exclaimed, looking at her gifts. The Hudsons had given her a beautiful mint green sweater, a blue and white button down shirt, picture frames, and stationary. "Much more than was necessary."

"Nonsense. You deserve it all. Oh, and there's one more there for you and Jack." Jack picked up the envelope and handed it to Sue. She opened it and smiled. It was a generous gift certificate to Filomena's, a delicious Italian restaurant in Georgetown. "I know that's one of your favorites, Jack."

"Yes, it is. Thank you so much." Jack and Sue hugged Mary and John. "Well, it looks like we're down to the last few," Jack continued.

"Me first," Sue said, handing Jack a box.

Jack opened it and smiled at the picture. It was the same one Sue had given his parents, in a decidedly more masculine frame. "This is great."

"Thought you'd like that. And now for the big gift," Sue said, handing him his gift.

It was a long, thin box that looked very similar to the tie box John had received from Sue. He tore of the wrappings and opened the box, revealing just that: a tie. He stared at it for a moment, puzzled. Sue had to work hard to keep herself from laughing.

"It's… a tie."

"What jacks on it," Sue grinned.

Mary and John both laughed. Jack continued to look confused. "What does this have to do with a hockey puck?"

"Maybe you need to dig a little deeper," Sue offered.

Jack lifted up the tie and his eyes went wide. He pulled out a stack of Capital's hockey tickets, two for each home game left in the season.

"Wow, this is great! And these are some nice seats." Hockey being his favorite sport, Jack was more than familiar with the arena where the Capitals played.

"Keep going," Sue encouraged.

Jack lifted up the bottom of the tie to reveal two tickets to one of the Capitals/Redwings games. He recognized from the seat and row numbers that the seats were located right behind the Redwings team bench.

"These are usually reserved. How on earth did you get them?"

"I pulled a few favors. I have friends in high places."

Jack hugged and kissed her. "Thank you. With a gift like this I guess I can manage to take you to one or two games."

"Jack!" Mary exclaimed.

Sue pushed him away and crossed her arms, pouting. "You know, I can always take them back."

"Okay, maybe more than one." They all laughed and Jack reached down to grab Sue's gift. "Merry Christmas."

Sue took the box and unwrapped it, revealing another small velvet box. Definitely a jewelry box, she recognized the name of the jeweler embossed on the lid. She felt butterflies in her stomach and just stared at the box for a second. She was trying to decide which would be better: actually getting jewelry or having the box be a trick, like she had done. Jewelry would be nice, very nice, but it represented commitment, loyalty, love… It was a big step. And if it wasn't jewelry… Sue was beginning to realize she would be very disappointed. But if it was an engagement ring… Her heart raced.

She noticed that everyone was staring expectantly at her, particularly Jack, who was beginning to feel as though he had made a huge mistake. He knew it was a risk, but he wanted Sue to know how he felt, to have a constant reminder, even if they couldn't be together right now.

She slowly opened the box and gasped. It was jewelry. But it wasn't any jewelry. Sue immediately recognized it as the rings that she and Jack had worn during their undercover marriage.

Jack had bought the rings from the bureau office, much to the amusement of the "prop master," as they called him, and whom Jack had sworn to secrecy.

He then took them to a jeweler and they settled on a design. The jeweler drilled small holes into the sides of each ring so they could be strung on a chain. Gold beads separated Jack's wedding band from Sue's engagement ring and from her wedding band. The result was a beautiful and unique design that overwhelmed Sue – there was so much significance behind it.

Sue just stared, trying to fight back tears. No man had given her a gift like this before. No man had given her jewelry before. Jack watched her closely, studying her face, trying to read her emotions.

At last, she spoke. "This is beautiful, Jack. I've never seen anything like it."

Jack let out a breath. So far, so good. "Do you recognize them?"

She smiled. "Of course. How could I forget? You picked me up in a bar."

At this point, John interjected. "I thought you met at work."

"May I see it?" Mary asked, but Sue was still staring, so Jack touched her and gestured to his mother. Sue handed the necklace over and Mary proclaimed it perfect.

"The rings are from our undercover, when we were a married couple. My story was that I picked Sue up in a bar, which caused our first real fight. I was kind of hoping that the necklace would make her forget about the whole bar thing, but I guess not."

"Jack! How very thoughtful. I'm impressed." Mary smiled at her son.

"Me, too," John said, handing the necklace back and gesturing to Jack that he should put it on her.

Sue lifted her hair and Jack clasped the necklace.

They relaxed back on the couch and Sue held Jack's hand and gave it a squeeze. She felt elated, indescribably happy, like nothing in the world could bring her down.

~*~*~*~

Two blocks from Jack's apartment, a man dropped an envelope into the mailbox and grinned evilly. "Won't be long now."

~*~*~*~

John and Mary cleaned up the wrapping paper and put away their gifts as Jack and Sue showered and dressed.

Sue showered first and dressed in the sweater the Hudsons had given her and her favorite pair of jeans. The sweater had a scoop neck and showed off her necklace perfectly.

She packed up the rest of her gifts and zipped up her suitcase. She knelt down to rub Levi's belly. "What do you think?" Levi licked her arm. "Thanks for the advice."

She realized she left a few things out in the living room, so she headed out to grab them. Mary was there, paging through a book Jack gave her.

"The sweater looks lovely."

"Thank you. It's a perfect fit."

"So is that necklace."

Sue smiled and fingered the rings. "Yeah, it is."

"Not what you were expecting?"

"Not at all, but I couldn't have imagined a better gift."

"I hope you know now how much he loves you."

"I do." She gathered up her things. "I have to go do something with my hair." Mary nodded and Sue went back to the bedroom.

Jack was in there, trying on the sweater he had received. When she entered, he turned to her. "What do you think?"

Sue didn't say anything at first. She was caught off guard by what she was feeling, walking into Jack's bedroom, having him ask her about his clothes. It felt so… natural. Like they had been together forever. Her hand went again to her necklace as she tried to pinpoint the exact moment that everything shifted. Jack was awaiting a response, so Sue quickly held up a sign.

"Do you mean 'f ' like it's terrible or that it's okay?"

"It's just fine." Sue thought it was more than fine, a gray and black striped sweater that clung to him in all the right places, accentuating the fact that he'd been spending more time at the gym. She walked over to the mirror, gathering her hair into a twist and clipping it in the back. She tried not to look at Jack. Tried not to notice the way he was looking at her. Her hand instinctively went to her neck where he had kissed her. On the bed, Jack grinned.

Sue had calmed down in the shower, having quiet time to reflect after the immediate emotional high that surrounded her gift. She had started thinking about what it really meant, what she wanted, and what she couldn't have. And while she was still happy, there was an underlying sadness niggling at her brain. She was looking forward to getting away for a few days so she could sort out everything without distractions like Jack kissing her neck.

Jack watched her walk over to the window, where she peered out, assessing the snow. It must have stopped overnight, because the roads looked to be relatively clear. Sue was relieved, worried her flight wouldn't get out. At the most, it looked like it might be delayed. She turned around to talk to Jack and found he was standing right behind her. She jumped, startled.

"Sorry, I was about to get your attention when you turned around. You looked like you wanted to say something?"

"I was just thinking we should call the airline to find out if my flight is on time."

"Okay, I'll do it. What are you flying?"

"US Air. Thanks." She turned back to the window but Jack tapped her on her shoulder. She turned back around.

"You okay?" he signed.

"Yes." She reached out and touched his cheek, kissing him moments later, refusing to let melancholy overwhelm. She pulled back and smirked at him. "Are you going to miss me?"

"Maybe…" Sue narrowed her eyes at him, skeptical. "Your parents have TTY, right? And you'll have your Blackberry?"

Sue laughed. "Yes and yes."

"Okay then. I'm going to call." They walked out of the room hand in hand.

~*~*~*~

Minutes later, Sue was gathering her things by the door and saying goodbye to the Hudsons. Her flight, miraculously, was not delayed and it was time for her to head to the airport. She hugged both Mary and John tightly, thanking them again for everything.

"I hope we get to see you again, soon, Sue," John said.

"Oh, yes, you must come visit us the next time Jack heads out to Wisconsin."

"I'd like that."

"Take care, sweetie," Mary hugged her again. "And watch after my boy."

"Don't worry, I will."

Sue knelt down to say goodbye to Levi. "Now, you be good for Jack and stay out of trouble, okay?" He licked her face. "I'm going to miss you, too." She hugged dog and kissed him on top of his head. She stood back up, saying, "It's like saying goodbye to a child."

"We had better be going," Jack said, glancing at his watch.

"Right. Bye! And thank you again."

"Bye, Sue," said John.

"We'll talk soon," Mary said with a smile, and they were off.

~*~*~*~

The drive to the airport was uneventful, traffic minimal, most people wisely choosing to stay inside on Christmas Day. Jack drove up to the gate for US Air and pulled the car over. They both got out and Jack lifted Sue's suitcase out of the trunk.

"You know, I could flash my badge and tell security that you're in witness protection and I need to stay with you until you board the plane."

Sue chuckled. "Thanks for the offer, but I'll be okay." She had been gearing herself up to say goodbye and didn't really want to prolong it any more.

They stood in an awkward silence, neither sure of what to say. Finally, Jack pulled her close and kissed her and then just held her, breathing her in. Sue felt his breath against her ear and pulled back.

"What?"

"Sorry. I said that I am going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you, too. But I'll be back soon. Just in time for New Years. You're okay to pick me up on Wednesday?"

"Absolutely. Just call me before you leave and I'll be here."

They kissed again. "Jack, I really need to go."

"I know."

One more kiss.

"That was you that time."

"I know." Sue picked up her bag and headed into the airport. She didn't look back, just touched her necklace and smiled.

Jack watched her retreating figure until he couldn't see her any longer. Only when she was out of sight did he finally muster up the courage to say what he had wanted to say for so long. "I love you."


	6. Dec 28 2:21 pm

**Date: **2/21 is my dad's birthday, and also my cat's birthday - though I didn't have the cat when I wrote this. :)

* * *

_You can't really place blame  
Cause blame is much too messy  
Some was bound to get on you  
While you were trying to put it on me_

_~ Ani DiFranco :: Hour Follows Hour ~_

**Hour follows hour…**

**12/28 2:21 pm**

Jack was sitting at his desk trying, unsuccessfully, to not think about Sue, when Lucy dropped an envelope on his desk.

"Well, you two certainly look like the saddest creatures on the planet," she said to Jack and Levi. Levi moaned and buried his head under his paws. Jack rested his head on his desk.

"What's this?" he asked, sitting up and grabbing the envelope.

"Who do I look like, Karnac?" Lucy picked up the envelope and held it to her head, Johnny Carson style. "A letter, for you, from someone." She turned it over and pointed to the address, feigning surprise. "Look at that!"

"Thanks, Luce, I appreciate your efforts to cheer me up."

"Is that what that was?" she said, grinning as she walked away.

"What is it, mate?" Bobby asked as Jack opened the envelope and went ashen.

"I… I'm not sure."

Bobby came over to the desk and looked at the contents of the envelope. They were pictures of Jack and Sue, black and white, taken on Christmas Eve when they had gone for their walk. There were around two-dozen pictures in total, some showing them walking to the park, some showing their snowball fight, some showing them kissing, and finally some showing them walking back.

Bobby was tempted to comment on the kissing, but thought better of it. "Who sent them?"

"I don't know. There's no name. The post mark is through the same post office that I use."

"There's something on the back of that picture," Bobby noticed. It was one of the pictures of them kissing. Jack turned it over and read:

"You had your fun, now it's time to say goodbye, Sue will be mine."

"He knows her name," he said, worried.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Bobby hoped he was right.

"He knows her name!" Jack was starting to panic.

"Look, Jack, she's been in the newspaper, she's been on TV, it's probably just some crazy guy trying to ruffle your feathers. Darcy gets stuff like this all the time. It bothers the hell out of me, but there's not much you can do." Jack calmed down slightly, but was still anxious. "Are you going to tell Sue?"

"No, I don't want to worry her while she's with her family. She's safe out there, I'm sure, and I'm picking her up at the airport on Wednesday. I may tell her then. For now, I want this stuff sent out to the lab to see if they can get anything off of it." Jack tried to tell himself that this was random, that there was nothing to worry about, but something made him feel like this was far more serious than Bobby implied.


	7. Dec 30 1:04 pm

**Date:** 1/4 is my brother's birthday.

* * *

_Maybe he'll notice her now, maybe he'll open his eyes  
Sometimes it takes somebody leaving for a man to realize  
Maybe he'll tell her she's the only thing that he can't live without  
Now that she's gone maybe he'll notice her now _

_~ Mindy McCready :: Maybe He'll Notice Her Now ~_

Hour follows hour…

**12/30 1:04 pm **

Sue's time home went quickly, but was very pleasant. She had to endure endless questions from her mother about her necklace for the first two days but once they both settled down and relaxed, they had a great time. Sue enjoyed spending time with her nieces and nephews and laughed and laughed with her brothers. She never realized how much she missed her family until she came home and got to see them all again.

Even though she was having such a nice time, she still missed Jack, and they talked daily, something her brothers loved to tease her about. They threatened what they would do if the met Jack, the questions they'd ask, the torture they'd impose, but Sue laughed it all off, knowing the instant they met, her brothers would find a kindred spirit in Jack. She found herself looking forward to the day when they would all be able to spend time together.

She called Jack the day she was leaving to let him know her flight was getting in just before one and to tell him everything was running on schedule. She couldn't wait to see him again. She bid farewell to her family and boarded the plane, her flight uneventful. She noticed that the nearer she got to Washington, the more butterflies she felt in her stomach, excitement building. She had made a decision while she was gone, born from how much she missed Jack, missed being with Jack. She was going to ask Ted for a transfer. She was the newest member of the team and it made the most sense. Jack was already moving up the ranks in her group, so a lateral transfer for him would be more difficult. She was planning on telling him as soon as they got home.

But she never got the chance.

The flight landed, and Sue gathered up her carry on and headed down to baggage claim, where Jack said he would meet her. She was coming down the stairs at the airport when she saw a man holding a sign that said "Thomas." It held her attention for a moment, but she figured it must be for another Thomas and she continued walking. But the man came up to her anyway.

"Excuse me, are you Sue Thomas?"

He made sure to touch her arm to get her attention and spoke slowly and directly at her. Sue realized he must have known she was deaf. Still, something felt off. She looked around quickly for Jack, but didn't see him.

~*~*~*~

Jack was down at the other end of baggage claim, having gotten turned around in his search. He thought he saw a familiar blond head descending the stairs at the other end of the lobby and headed in that direction.

~*~*~*~

"Mr. Hudson sent me," the man continued. "He felt terrible, but he was called away on a big case, something deep undercover."

This didn't sit well with Sue. She had just talked to him hours before. There was no way he would have been called undercover in such a short time. She tried to remain calm, eyes scanning the crowded claim area. The man reached out and grabbed her arm. Sue's eyes went wide as she saw a shift in the man's face. It was almost as if it was a different person. He went from a smiling, friendly façade to looking like pure terror. Panic enveloped Sue. Off to her left, she finally spotted Jack.

~*~*~*~

Jack found her, having been searching the crowd for what seemed like an eternity. She was still a good 100 yards away and was talking to some man. Jack sprung to instant alert. Something was not right. He called her name and ran toward her, regretting not bringing Levi along. But he was too late. He watched in horror as the man yanked her arm, dragging her to a taxi that sat outside.

"Jack! Jack!" she screamed.

Jack picked up his pace, pulling out his gun and fighting his way through the crowds of Christmas travelers waiting to get their luggage. Some women screamed and a man somewhere yelled "Gun!"

Jack barged through, yelling, "FBI! Get out of my way!"

Sue was struggling with her captor, trying to wriggle free from his grasp. The man grabbed Sue's shirt and Jack saw something go flying. He was almost there. "FBI! MOVE! NOW!" He broke free from the crowd just as he saw Sue being tossed into the back of the taxi. It sped off and he ran after the car, contemplating shooting out the tires, but there were too many people around, too many cars, and he could see airport security running in his direction. He lowered his gun, eyes still on the car, until he noticed something gleaming out of the corner of his eye. He knelt down and picked up the pieces of Sue's necklace.

~*~*~*~

He whipped out his cell phone and got Bobby on the line. "He took her! The bastard took her!"

"What? Jack, what are you talking about?"

"At the airport. He grabbed her. There were too many people. I couldn't get to her. I couldn't get to her." Panic shown through Jack's voice and Bobby could hear people shouting in the background. "Sir, put down the gun."

"I'm FBI! My… Sue… A federal agent was just kidnapped." Jack turned his attention back to the phone. "Bobby, I want the entire team here STAT. I want airport surveillance, I want those lab results, I want the God damn National Guard!"

Bobby knew there was no point in trying to calm Jack down over the phone. "Okay, we'll be there."

Jack was finally able to convince airport security that he really was FBI, although they seemed skeptical until the entire team showed up SWAT gear and everything.

"Jack," Bobby found him, pacing wildly. Bobby grabbed his arm to stop him and Jack looked ready to pounce. He gave Jack a quick hug. "We'll find her. Tell me in detail exactly what happened."

~*~*~*~

She was sitting on the floor where her kidnapper had haphazardly tossed her. Her hands were tied in front of her and her arm ached from where he had grabbed her. The floor was cold and hard, the air dank and damp. She shivered and wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from fear. She tried to remember all of her FBI training, tried to keep herself grounded. She examined the space around her, looking for an exit.

They were in some sort of warehouse and it looked like it had been unused for some time. Crates lay scattered about clustered with boxes, long forgotten garbage, covered with a layer of dust and grime. Sue noticed a small movement in the distance and spotted a pair of large rats scurrying between boxes. She gasped and swept her eyes over the entire space looking for any refuge. She saw none. The only windows were at the top of the building, which easily stood two stories, far out of reach. The only door she'd seen so far was the one they had used to enter the building. She knew there must be another, but had no way to find it. At least not yet.

Her captor was talking to himself. Pacing back and forth, lips flying. Sue figured she was catching maybe every third word.

"Don't know… Mine… Forever… Mine…"

It was enough to cause her to be more afraid than she had ever been in her entire life. She dared to speak. "I can't read your lips…"

He spun around to face her, rage in his eyes. Sue shrunk into herself.

"What?"

"I just… You were talking… I can't read your lips unless you face me." Before she knew it, he had crossed the space between them and backhanded her, hard. He roughly grabbed her chin.

"NO TALKING!" he screamed. "I can't… No… Sounds, too many sounds." He stood and clutched at his hair.

Sue's bound hands cradled her cheek, which was already beginning to throb. She watched him again, as he resumed pacing. He stopped suddenly to face her and she froze. The rage was gone from his eyes now. He came nearer and she scooted back until she hit the wall, her hands raised in front of her for protection. He was speaking again, so she moved her hands out of her line of sight.

"Sorry, so sorry… Need quiet, just need quiet."

Sue, unsure of what to do, just nodded. The man nodded in reply and sat down on a box in the corner. What he said next made Sue realize that unless Jack and the others found her she was not getting out of this alive.

"She's mine. Mine forever. Meant to be together. She's mine. Mine or no one can have her. No one."

~*~*~*~

Jack finished explaining what happened to Bobby, D, and the rest of the gang. They were sitting in a conference room in the airport, starting to collect facts.

"I did get the license plate from the taxi, so at least we have something to go off of," Jack finished.

Tara was on the phone, and when she finished she came over to join the group. "I have some news, and it's fairly good. At least it's a start. We were able to trace the taxi. Apparently, the driver radioed in about 15 minutes after Sue was kidnapped saying that some crazy man had jumped into his car with some woman and told him to drive. Said the man had a knife and threatened to kill him if he didn't go. So the driver went. The man had him drop them off at a parking lot on," she referred to her notes, "Constitution, near the Ellipse. The man got out, dragging Sue with him, and fled. The driver said he wanted to help Sue, but he was worried he'd get killed, so he drove away and radioed the police. He circled the block to try and see if the man drove off. He managed to catch a glimpse of who he thought were Sue and the man leaving in a Chevy Caprice, light blue, definitely from the 80s."

"Okay, put out an APB on that car, I want it on the news, I want it on the radio, everywhere." Jack resumed pacing. "Did he say which direction they were headed?"

"Yes. The taxi driver said it looked like they were heading further into the city."

"Unfortunately, that and some weak partial prints are all we have to go off right now. I want everyone calling their snitches. Someone must have seen something. We have some pictures from airport surveillance. Tara, run those through your magic computer programs. Find me a match." He paused, rubbing his head. "I don't think there's anything else we can do here, we might as well go back to the office."

They packed up their gear and headed back to the Hoover building.

~*~*~*~

Sue was still curled up in a corner of the warehouse. She was getting cold and had no idea how long she'd been in there. Her head throbbed and it took all of her strength not to burst into tears. She had watched her captor as he sat, apparently thinking, then watched as he stood and began pacing around the small space. She followed him back and forth, back and forth, and shrunk back when he stopped and faced her. But he didn't come toward her, he just spoke.

"I bet you're hungry. Food. We should eat. Don't move." He headed for the door they came in and Sue watched him, surprised he was just going to let her sit there unattended. She watched the door shut and slowly stood. She quietly made her way through the boxes and garbage, looking over her shoulder every couple of steps, aware that she would not be able to hear his return. She delved further into the warehouse, searching for anything that could be used as an exit – or a weapon. So far, she'd come up empty, but there was a promising pile in the far left corner. Sue was so set on reaching that pile that she forgot to check over her shoulder.

She screamed when he grabbed her and forcefully dragged her back into the other room. He was yelling something but Sue couldn't tell what. She had a feeling that it wouldn't matter, anyway. He threw her to the floor and having procured a chain, looped tightly her around her waist and locked to some metal piping. When he was done, he roughly grabbed Sue's chin so she could look directly at him. "I told you not to move."

~*~*~*~

They were not making much progress back at the FBI. Jack had decided against calling Sue's parents and his own. He wanted to call them once he had her back. Once it was all over and she was safe and home and his.

They had no leads on the car. Every one of their snitches was on the lookout. But so far, nothing. Jack grew more and more despondent. He knew that she was still alive, could feel that she was still alive, but he knew that she was in grave danger.

~*~*~*~

Her captor returned, setting down a bowl of soup in front of her and untying her hands. Sue now understood the reasoning behind the chain around her waist. She couldn't go anywhere, but she would still have her hands free to eat. The fact that he was feeding her at all made no sense. If he wanted her for himself, why would he hurt her? Why would he toss her around and then offer her food? It made Sue's heart sink. Obviously, this man was completely insane. There was no other explanation for his actions. And that meant that Sue had absolutely no control over the situation.

She stared at the soup, trying to decide whether or not she should eat. She was hungry and figured she needed to keep up her strength, but was worried that he may have put something in it.

"Eat!" he commanded and Sue realized she didn't really have much choice.

She tentatively took a sip of the soup. It was tepid, but it tasted okay. She took another sip and her captor seemed pleased, backing off and taking his seat on a box. Before long Sue felt herself growing drowsy and she realized that he must have put something in the soup. She tried hard to stay awake, tried to focus on anything she could, but nothing could fight the overwhelming urge to just close her eyes and sleep forever.

~*~*~*~

Jack sat alone in a corner of the dimly lit office, the control room, as they had begun to call it. As if they had some control over the situation. He picked up the picture she had given him and stared hard at her smiling face, swearing to himself he would find her, somehow.

He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Bobby smiling down at him. "Sorry, man, didn't mean to scare you. It's really late. What would it take to get you to go home and get some sleep? You've been awake for almost two days straight."

"I can't sleep, Bobby. Every time I close my eyes I see Sue in that airport. I see the thousands of ways I could have saved her."

"What about the million ways you couldn't have, Jack? I've seen the surveillance video. I don't think you could have gotten to her in time. The scene looked perfectly harmless. There's no reason to beat yourself up over it."

"If anything happens to her…"

"It won't Jack. We'll find her before it can."

"I never told her…" Jack's voice dropped off and he suddenly realized how tired he was. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, the picture resting on his stomach.

Bobby sat next to him and asked quietly, "Didn't tell her what?"

Jack exhaled slowly. "That I loved her. I came close a couple of times during Christmas, but I just couldn't do it. It would have made everything so complicated with work." He rubbed his face with his hands and then picked up the picture again.

"You don't think she knew?" Bobby inquired and Jack turned to face him. "Jack, everyone, and I mean everyone – even Myles – knows how you feel about Sue and how she feels about you. We've just been waiting for the day when it would all come out. And after your Christmas gift? I didn't even put that much thought into Darcy's and we've been together almost a year." Bobby reached over and gave Jack's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "You'll get the chance to tell her, mate. Have faith."

"I'm trying, Bobby. I am."

"And don't worry about the work thing. We'll find a way to keep both the team and you and Sue together. To quote my man Ian Malcolm from _Jurassic Park_, "Life finds a way.'"

Jack looked at Bobby, a bemused expression on his face. "You need some help."

"Don't we all?" Bobby grinned. "Just do me a favor and please try to get some sleep. You're no good to us if you're sleep deprived. Not to mention that you get really grumpy."

"Hey!" Jack exclaimed, as Bobby stood to leave. "Bobby… Thanks."

Bobby flashed one of his trademark grins. "Anytime."


	8. Jan 1 7:19 am

**Date: **7/19 is my mom's birthday.

* * *

_All this time I can't believe I couldn't see  
kept in the dark but you were there in front of me  
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems  
got to open my eyes to everything  
without a thought without a voice without a soul  
don't let me die here  
there must be something more  
bring me to life _

_~ Evanescence :: Bring Me to Life ~ _

Hour follows hour…

**1/1 7:19 am **

Sue woke up and felt her ribs burning. She'd slept propped up against the wall, the chain around her stomach digging into her skin. She blinked, willing her eyes to focus. She was alone in the room. She tried to wriggle out of her wrist bonds, but they were too tight, and she succeeded only in irritating her skin further. She was stuck.

She saw the door open and her captor entered carrying more food and water. Sue was expecting breakfast, but she realized that she had no concept of time. She had no idea what time of day it was, let alone what day of the week. She glanced up at the windows and saw that it was just beginning to get light out. She noticed a sign glowing beyond the windows and squinted, trying to make out the words through the dust and grime. She could only see part of it: Wash. Wash? What did that mean? She thought if she could somehow figure out her location, if she had the opportunity, she could tell Jack and the others and they would find her.

The man set more soup and the water in front of her and Sue greedily drank. But it was too much at once and she gagged, afraid she was going to be sick. She leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes, wanting to cry, to just sob.

She wiped at her face and opened her eyes. The man was staring at her. Then he pointed to the soup. "Eat."

Sue shook her head. She saw a flicker of anger in his eyes, but he said nothing. He stared at her a moment longer, and leaving the soup on the floor, he stood. She risked speaking. "What is your name?" Her voice was barely audible and her throat hurt from the effort.

He turned around quickly and Sue flinched. He slowly finger spelled, "C-r-a-v-e-n."

Sue repeated his name and Craven nodded. Then he turned back around and left.

Tears began to fall down her cheeks. She was beginning to feel like she was never going to get out of this. At least not alive. She was cold and hungry and frightened. She closed her eyes and concentrated on Jack, on the happy moments they shared at Christmas. Her hand went to her neck and she noticed for the first time that her necklace was gone. It must have fallen off somewhere in the struggle. Her tears increased as she silently cried.

After a little while, she began to feel strange. She realized too late that something might have been in the water. She was lightheaded, like her center of balance was off, which was especially abnormal since she was still sitting on the floor. She blinked, head heavy, and noticed that something didn't look right. It was almost as if everything was glowing. It reminded her of _The Matrix_, green streaming lines over everything. She blinked again, but it didn't go away. A man came back into the warehouse and she watched him.

"Jack!" she exclaimed. He came closer to her and Sue realized it wasn't Jack at all.

"Never mention him again!" Craven screamed in her face.

Sue collapsed forward, sobbing.

~*~*~*~

"What do we have so far?" Jack felt mildly refreshed, having managed to get almost six hours of sleep the night before.

"Everyone is on the lookout: SOG, DCPD, all of our snitches," Bobby shared. "So far, nothing."

"Our good friend, Howie," Myles contributed, "has been papering the city with flyers we made. They have Sue's picture, the kidnapper's picture, and a picture of the car on them. If they're still in the city, we'll find them."

"And if they're not?" Jack asked.

"Airports are all on alert. We've also sent pictures to the police departments in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the Carolinas," Tara offered.

D patted Jack on the shoulder. "Something will turn up."

"It has to," Lucy added sadly.

~*~*~*~

Craven headed out for supplies, after checking on Sue to make sure she was still tightly secured. It had been three days and it wasn't going as he had planned. She wouldn't eat. She needed to eat. He needed her strong.

Maybe he was giving her too much of the drugs. He wanted her calm, he wanted her to rest up for their journey, but he didn't expect that she'd figure out he was drugging her so quickly. Maybe he should stop for a while. Get her to trust him.

He had changed clothes as a precaution and walked to his car. It was hidden in an alley not far from where he was keeping Sue. He drove to the store and picked up some more food, different kinds for her to try, and water. On his way back to the warehouse, he noticed a flyer on a telephone pole. He yanked it off, fuming.

He read: "If anyone has any information, please contact Agent Jack Hudson at the FBI."

"Why won't you go away?" He crumbled the paper and tossed it to the ground. He needed to get Hudson to back off. Get him to believe that she was happy with him, not with Jack. He made one more quick stop and headed back in to Sue.

She awoke suddenly. Craven was shaking her shoulders, trying to get her to focus on him.

She looked at him, eyes wide, wondering what he wanted. Her head was pounding and she felt hung over. She felt desperate for a drink of water.

"Stand up," he instructed.

She pointed to the chain around her waist. "I can't."

He hesitated a moment and then pulled out a set of keys and unlocked it. "If you move, I will hurt you."

Sue didn't doubt it. She nodded. She stood slowly, her legs unsure beneath her, her entire body stiff from being in the same position for days. She gently rubbed at her bruised ribs.

"Hold this," he said, thrusting a newspaper into her hands. She stared at the paper, confused. "Don't move." He walked over to a box and picked up a camera. Sue made the connection. Who was he going to send it to? Jack? Lucy? This could be her chance. She studied the front page trying to find something, anything that could help her.

She looked down at the masthead. January 1. "Happy New Year," she thought bitterly. She read on. _The Washington Post_. The Washington Post! Sue looked up again out the window. That's where she was! Across the street from the Post! She'd been tossing around ideas about what the "wash" could have meant. She figured it was a Laundromat or dry cleaners, but this was much better. She focused again on the paper and quickly came up with a plan.


	9. Jan 1 1:30 pm

**Date:** 1/30 is the birthday of Sarah (and she has a minor character named for her in this story). Sarah and I were friends when I wrote this story, but I haven't spoken to her in probably... 5 years? Wow.

* * *

_When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love  
You'll understand what I mean when I say  
There's no way we're gonna give up  
And like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams  
Is there anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe  
_

_~ Maroon 5 :: Harder To Breathe ~_

**Hour follows hour…**

**1/1 1:30 pm**

There was another envelope on his desk when he returned from lunch. No postmark, just a ragged "Jack Hudson" written on the front.

"Where did this come from?"

Lucy answered. "Reilly dropped it on your desk. What is it?"

Jack picked up his phone and dialed his friend. "Reilly, it's Jack. What's with the envelope?"

"I saw it outside. I just figured you had dropped it so I brought it in. Is there a problem?"

"I don't know yet. Thanks." Jack hung up and pulled on gloves, slowly opening the envelope. Two pictures slid out and he sank into his chair, an overwhelming sense of nausea filling his gut.

Bobby ran over, followed closely by Lucy. "What is it?"

"Oh my God," Lucy stammered.

It was Sue. She looked like she was barely able to stand. She had a large bruise on one side of her face and bags under her eyes. She looked like she had been crying, but a fake smile was plastered on her face. There was a rip at the top of her sweater, but other than that her clothes seemed to be in one piece.

She held a newspaper, today's Post, and Jack sighed. At least she was still alive. At least alive when the pictures were taken, which, judging by the date, couldn't have been too long ago.

Lucy looked the pictures and tears filled her eyes. "She looks so scared. What is he doing to her? Making her stand there and smile."

This time, there was a short handwritten note on the back of crumpled piece of paper. Jack turned it over and saw it was one of their flyers. He flipped it back and read what was written. "Leave us alone. She's happy now with me not with you. It's over."

Jack rubbed at his eyes, frustrated. He had to get to her. There had to be a way. Lucy was handing off the pictures to Bobby when something caught Jack's eye. The pictures looked to be the same at first glance, but Jack noticed that something was different. Her hands. They were in different places.

He grabbed the pictures from Bobby.

"What is it?"

"Look," Jack said, laying the pictures side-by-side and pointing to the first. Sue's hands were pointing to the "Washington Post" in the masthead.

"Do you think that means she's still in the city?" Lucy asked.

"Maybe. Look at the second picture. Her hands moved. She's still pointing to "Washington" with her right, but her second is up near her neck. What are you trying to tell us, Sue?" Jack stared in frustration. He knew she was trying to tell him something, he just had to figure out what.

~*~*~*~

Sue had felt humiliated when Craven made her smile for the pictures, but she knew that if she argued he would just hit her again. Besides that, she had to concentrate on what she was doing. Her timing had to be perfect. The first picture was easy, she figured he wouldn't catch on to the way she was holding the paper. But for the second picture, she had to time everything just right. When she saw Craven go to take the picture, she quickly moved her hand up to her neck, feigning an itch. He had looked hard at her but said nothing.

When they were finished, he told her to go sit back on the floor. She told him she had to go to the bathroom, so he walked her their first. He had let her go before, but it was obvious that Craven had chosen the location wisely. The bathroom he took her to had only one window, a narrow slit at least 8 feet up. There was no lock and nothing she could use as a weapon. But still, she cherished the time alone and took a drink of water from the tap. She had no idea how safe it was, but it was better than drinking whatever he may have put in her drink.

He walked her back to the floor and sue sighed and lowered herself to the concrete floor as Craven locked the chain around her waist. Sue noticed he left a little more slack in the chain this time. Not enough for her to get out, but at least it wasn't digging into her sides. He left the room for a few minutes and returned with some food. Sue was surprised to see an apple, a sandwich, and some chips. She stared at the apple for a minute, figuring it was pretty safe, rubbed it off on her shirt to be safe, and took a bite. She ate slowly, her empty stomach protesting the first real food she'd eaten in days. Craven watched her eat and smiled at her. But Sue was not comforted by his smile or by the fruit. She felt sick to her stomach again but she forced herself to finish the apple. She took the bag of chips and set them aside for later, just in case. They were still sealed, which was hopeful.

The extra give in the chain enabled Sue to lie down on her side, and she curled up on the cold concrete and closed her eyes wondering when this would end.

~*~*~*~

Jack, Bobby, and Lucy all took turns staring at the pictures, tossing around ideas of what Sue could mean.

"Okay, I'm pretty sure she's telling us she's still here in DC. She's pointing to Washington in both pictures," Jack thought aloud. "It's this second picture…" He picked it up and looked again. His own hand went to his throat, mimicking Sue's gesture. He felt something cool there and reached in to pull out the gold chain. He hadn't had time to get the necklace fixed. He had collected the three rings at the airport and put them on a plain gold chain. He had taken to wearing them, a constant reminder of Sue, a promise to himself that he would return them to her.

He looked again at the picture. "I think I have it…" he said softly.

"What is it?" Bobby asked, picking up the picture off Jack's desk.

"In the first picture, she's definitely telling us she's in Washington. In the second picture… She's reaching for her necklace. The one I gave her for Christmas. It was made from our wedding rings… We had to explain the whole thing to my parents… About how we had to come up with our back-story, how Sue got mad at me because I said we met at a bar. I told her that I hoped the necklace would make up for the bar story."

He took the picture back from Bobby, staring at Sue's battered face. "The bar… Washington… Newspaper…" He stood suddenly, grabbing his coat and heading for the door.

"Jack! Jack! What is it?" Bobby and Lucy ran after him, the rest of the team trailing behind.

"I guess he's figured something out," Lucy said, breathless from their sprint.

"Guess so," Bobby responded. "Let's hope he's right."

~*~*~*~

Craven was getting restless. He wanted to move her, but she was still sleeping. He was getting antsy, staying in the city with the entire FBI looking for him. But his car was no longer safe. He had snuck out earlier to go move his car. He drove it to a lot full of half-broken cars that were used for parts. He removed the tag and figured that no one would notice an extra car on the lot. He threw the tag away and hailed a cab back to the Post. That had solved one problem, but created another. He didn't want to risk taking a cab any distance. He was afraid Sue might make a scene. The Metro would have been even worse, as would a bus. He needed to get another car. He paced frantically, trying to figure out what to do.

~*~*~*~

"Where are we going?" Bobby asked, riding shotgun in Jack's car. Lucy and Tara were in the back.

"Dupont Circle. To The Front Page."

"Isn't that a bar?" Tara asked.

"Exactly. When I told our neighbors that I picked Sue up in a bar, I said we met in The Front Page. It was the first place that popped into my head. I think that's what Sue was trying to tell me in the picture. She knew I'd remember our conversation about the necklace making up for the bar."

"So you think Sue's in a bar?" Lucy asked dubiously.

"I think she's near a bar. And it's not all that far from the Ellipse. It's a walk, but not far at all by car."

Jack pulled in front of the bar and parked on the street. The four got out and surveyed the area. The rest of the team pulled up behind them and got out as well.

"What are we looking for?" Myles shouted from their car.

"Sue. Or anything suspicious at all."

They broke into pairs and searched the area, finding nothing of major interest. They asked people on the street if they'd seen Sue, but came up empty. Frustrated, Jack headed into the bar, hoping someone in there may have seen Sue or her kidnapper. Bobby tagged along, hoping as well that something would turn up.

Jack walked around, staring at the different newspaper clippings hanging on the walls in frames. He loved this place; to him it was quintessential Washington. Bobby wandered around asking various patrons and staff if they'd seen Sue. No one had.

Jack stopped in front of one of the walls, staring at the four framed pages in front of him. Suddenly, he found the connection. They were all front pages, hence the name of the bar, displaying various important events in history. He walked further down the wall until he came on a front page from the Post.

"Bobby!" He came running. "Do you have today's paper?"

"No, but I bet there's one around here somewhere."

They dashed back into the main bar area and found one of the patrons reading the paper. "I need the front page," Jack told the man who stared at him like he was crazy. Jack held up his badge. "I need that paper, now." The man thrust it his way, not wanting to cause any trouble.

Jack looked at the paper, seeing nothing new. It was exactly like it had been in the picture and nothing caught his eye. Then he flipped the paper over to look at what was displayed below the fold. It was a story about the 150th anniversary of the Post. On the left hand side was a large picture of the Post's main location: 1515 L Street, right in the district.

~*~*~*~

Sue woke a couple of hours later. Craven was nowhere to be found. She sat up and rubbed at her eyes. She wanted a long, hot shower followed by a long, hot bath. And she wanted a warm bed and she wanted her dog and she wanted Jack. But she had none of it. Just a cold, dank warehouse and a couple of weak clues that she was beginning to rethink. What if Jack couldn't figure it out? It wasn't obvious, but with still photographs, she couldn't sign, not like she wanted to. He had to figure it out, he had to. There was no other option.

Craven came back into the warehouse with bags in tow. He was pleased to see Sue was awake and alert.

He handed her a bottle of water and Sue took it. The cap was still sealed, so Sue figured it was safe to drink. She twisted off the top and took a few slow sips.

Craven knew he would have to knock her out if he wanted to get out of there, but he also knew that she had realized he was putting drugs into her food and water. He got a case of water and after several unsuccessful tries managed to pull the entire cap off of one, in one piece. He was able to add the drugs, shake it up well, and replace the cap without it looking like it had ever been opened. This would work out just fine.

~*~*~*~

"We need to get a hold of SOG. I want every block surrounding The Washington Post covered. Tara, get me the names and owners of every building in that area. I need to know if there is any space, even the tiniest space, that is vacant."

"Why do you think she's near the Post? You thought she was here, and obviously she's not," Myles' brusque skepticism couldn't quite hide the worry in his voice.

"She was trying to tell me to look at the front page of the paper. It has a huge story on the anniversary of the Post, including a picture of their downtown location. She must be able to see the Post from wherever she is. That's the only explanation."

"Well, I hope you're right."

"I know I am."

"Bingo!" Tara cried out.

"Tell me you found something."

"I found something. There's a building on L Street, diagonal from the Post. It used to be a storage facility for the newspaper, but due to budget cuts they got rid of it. It's been on the market for months now, but no deals have been solidified."

"So it's empty?" Jack asked, hope in his voice.

"Very."

"Let's go."

~*~*~*~

Sue didn't know how he did it. The bottle was sealed. But somehow he had managed to get drugs in there. Her mind was spinning and she was angry with herself for trusting him.

Craven watched as she swayed, waiting for the moment she passed out so he could unhook the chain. His head snapped up. He thought he heard something in the distance. He listened again but the sound was gone. This was the problem with DC, it was perpetually loud. He heard sirens outside and froze but they continued past, apparently on their way to another part of the city.

He moved over to Sue, who had slumped to the floor. He was about to unlock the chain from around her waist when the door flew in behind him. He spun around at the sound and saw black-clad figures rushing into the room. At the head of the pack: Jack Hudson.

"Don't move!" Jack yelled.

Craven looked from Sue to Jack and back to Sue again.

"You take one step closer and you're dead."

Craven panicked. Jack couldn't have her. He couldn't have her. No one could have her. He lunged at Sue and Jack fired off two rounds, catching Craven in the chest both times. He fell to the floor, dropping the keys, coughing and clutching at his chest. Bobby ran over and pulled Craven away from Sue and called for a medic. Jack rushed to Sue, using the fallen keys to set her free.

He gently touched her face, trying to get her to wake up. Her eyes flicked open for a moment, but in her haze Sue thought she was dreaming. Jack shook her softly, stroking her head. Her eyes opened briefly.

"Jack?" she whispered.

"It's me," he said and softly kissed her lips. She knew those lips. It really was Jack. This wasn't a dream. He was here. He was here and he was holding her and she was never going to let go.

She started to cry and Jack held her tight, a few tears escaping his own eyes. She went limp in his arms and he released his grip so he could look at her.

"Sue?" He shook her again. She didn't move. He picked her up and carried her outside as the paramedics pulled up. The lowered a gurney and Jack lay Sue on it. The medics questioned him, but he had no idea what she had been through, so he had few answers.

"Jack!" He heard Lucy yell after him.

"She's alive, Luce. Go to the hospital. Meet us there." He climbed into the back of the ambulance and they were gone.

Although he would have preferred to let him lie there and bleed to death, Bobby directed the medics to Craven. He was pale and bleeding profusely, but it looked like he would live. Bobby took some comfort in the fact that he would spend the rest of his life behind bars. He leaned down close to Sue's kidnappers and whispered in his ear, "You picked the wrong person to mess with, man. Big mistake."

Bobby grinned at the fear on Craven's face.


	10. Jan 1 11:21 pm

**Date:** Ah, 11/21. Any X-Files fan knows this one. It's Chris Carter's birthday and a time he frequently wrote into the show. Pay attention to the clocks as you watch the show - you'll see bunches of 11:21s. This is my shout-out to Chris.

* * *

_I've never been the kind to ever let my feelings show_

_And I thought that being strong meant never losing your self-control _

_But I'm just drunk enough to let go of my pain _

_To hell with my pride, let it fall like rain _

_From my eyes _

_Tonight I wanna cry _

_~ Keith Urban :: Tonight I Wanna Cry ~_

**Hour follows hour… **

**1/1 11:21 pm**

Jack paced in the hospital waiting room, surrounded by Bobby, Tara, Lucy, Myles, D, Levi, and Ted, who had shown up upon hearing of his agent's rescue.

"Jack, you're wearing a hole in the carpet. Why don't you sit and try to relax," Bobby offered.

"I can't. Not yet. Not until I know she's okay."

A doctor came into the waiting room and Jack rushed over to her. "How is she?"

"Are you Jack?"

"Yes."

The doctor smiled. "I'm Dr. Madison. She's been asking for you. And for a Levi?" The dog barked. "I take it that's Levi."

Jack nodded. "So… She's alright?"

"She's going to be fine. She's going to have a long recovery, but it could have been much worse. She's dehydrated and malnourished. It appears whoever kidnapped her had been giving her very high doses of Sonata, a sleep aid. After a while, high doses of a medication like that can really mess with you. When you brought Sue in she was hallucinating, a result of the medication's impact on her system. She also has some serious bruising on her ribs, but they don't appear to be broken. We have her on fluids by IV and she's gradually growing stronger. She's going to need to rest. It will probably be another 24 hours before the medication is completely out of her system. I want to keep her around for observation for a few days."

"Can we see her?"

"Very briefly, and one at a time."

"Can we take Levi back?"

"I don't see why not."

"Thank you, doctor."

She nodded. "Do you want to go back?"

Jack looked to Lucy, who had yet to see Sue. "Lucy, you go ahead. I'll wait."

Lucy felt tears spring to her eyes at Jack's sacrifice. She knew how much he wanted to be with Sue. "Thank you," she hugged him quickly before taking Levi by the leash and heading back.

She returned about ten minutes later looking elated. "She looks tired, and pale, but she's alive and that's all that matters." She smiled at Jack. "I left Levi with her. I think she was more happy to see the dog than me."

"Oh, I doubt that."

"I'm going to head out. It's been a grueling week. Sue asked me to pick up some things for her."

"Her suitcase is at my apartment if you just want to get that. I had the airline send it there when…" He stopped, thinking about the events of the last week.

Bobby spoke up. "I have a spare key. I can take you there now if you want and then you'll have everything for the morning."

"That would be great, thanks Bobby."

"No problem."

The rest of the team decided that they might as well head home since they wouldn't be able to see Sue until tomorrow. Ted was the last to leave, congratulating Jack on a job well done.

"That was some good detective work, Hudson."

"Thank you, sir."

"Tell Thomas I'm thinking about her."

"I will."

Ted headed for the exit, turning around just before he hit the doors. "And Jack?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Don't worry about policy. We'll make it work."

Jack smiled. "Thanks, Ted."

"Take care, Jack."

~*~*~*~

He wasn't sure what to expect when he went into the room. She had looked such a mess in the warehouse, but everything happened so quickly, he didn't really have a chance to evaluate the damage. He took a deep breath and opened the door to her room.

Lucy was right; she did look pale and tired. The hospital had cleaned her up as well as they could, getting off most of the grime from the warehouse. He could see the bruise on her left cheek clearly, fading around the edges from purple to a sickly green. There were scratches around her wrists and on her arms. He could only imagine what the bruises on her ribs looked like.

Dr. Madison came up behind him. "You know, you can actually go in."

Jack smiled softly, but his expression grew serious. He shut the door and turned to the doctor. "Did he… Was she…"

She reached out and touched his arm, comfortingly. "There are no signs of sexual assault." Jack sighed and visibly relaxed. "However, what Sue went through was very traumatic emotionally. Her external bruises will heal quickly, but internally, she's going to need more time. She's going to need your support and love to get through this. And if you see signs of long lasting depression or other unusual behavior, you should let me know and we'll get her connected to a crisis counselor."

Jack nodded. "I'm sure we can get through this together. Sue is the strongest person I know."

Dr. Madison smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. Go be with her. She's waiting for you."

Jack opened the door again and this time entered the room. Levi came over and nuzzled his leg. "It's okay, boy, she's going to be fine." He sat in the chair next to her bed and took her hand. Sue's eyes fluttered open. She smiled at him and Jack felt tears spring into his eyes.

"You do realize that I'm never going to let you out of my site ever again, don't you?"

Sue chuckled softly. "I was kind of counting on that, actually."

Jack's expression changed to one of worry. "Are you okay?" he signed. "Really okay?"

She felt tears come to her own eyes, but she nodded. "I will be. Right now I'm just really, really tired."

"I bed you are. Go to sleep. I'm going to stay right here."

"All night?"

"All night."

She closed her eyes and Jack lifted her hand, planting a kiss on the back. He lowered it to the bed and watched her peaceful figure for a moment. His free hand went to his neck and he pulled out the gold chains. He squeezed her hand gently to see if she was still awake. Sue opened her eyes.

Jack stood and unclasped a chain from around his neck. He gently lifted up Sue's neck so he could clasp it on her. He adjusted the rings so they sat in front. Sue looked down, puzzled.

"Where's my wedding band? Did it get lost?"

Jack reached under his collar and pulled out the second gold chain. "I decided I wanted to keep it for myself."

Sue smiled. "It's better that way." She closed her eyes, so very tired, but Jack squeezed her hand again.

"Sorry, I know you want to sleep, and you can, in just a second. I just have to tell you something."

"Okay," she yawned.

"I meant to tell you before you left to go visit your parents, but I was afraid of the consequences. And then… Almost losing you made me realize that those consequences don't matter." He took a deep breath. "I love you, Sue. I am in love with you."

Sue reached out and stroked his cheek. "Oh, Jack… I love you, too."

He smiled and kissed the palm of her hand. "Get some sleep. I'll be right here."

Sue closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep, Jack's words warming her heart.

~*~*~*~

One of the nurses came in around 4:00 to check on Sue and found Jack asleep in the chair next to her bed. She had been told by Dr. Madison to let him stay, the doctor willing to bend the rules for her patients, calling Jack part of the cure.

Shortly after the nurse left, Jack woke up, hearing Sue tossing in her sleep. Levi must have sensed something too, for he had his head propped on her bed and was crying softly. Jack sat up and moved closer to the bed. He watched Sue twist and turn, a nightmare overtaking her dreams. She woke on her own a minute later, breathing heavily and wincing from the pain in her ribs. Jack reached for her but she jumped, still engrossed in her dream, expecting it was Craven coming after her. Jack pulled his hand away, waiting for her to come back to reality. Her breathing slowed and she turned to him, saw the worried look on his face.

"It was… Nightmare. It was so real."

Jack got up and sat on the edge of her bed, leaning Sue back into his embrace. He kissed her temple and stroked her hair until she fell back asleep.


	11. Jan 4 2:11 pm

**Date:** 2/11 is Dawn's birthday. Dawn and I were best friends in college, but, again, haven't seen each other in probably 5 years.

* * *

_These wounds won't seem to heal  
This pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase_

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears  
I held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have  
All of me

_~ Evanescence :: My Immortal ~ _

Hour follows hour…

**1/4 2:11 pm **

Each member of the gang came by to visit Sue during her stay in the hospital. She recovered quickly once she got fluids into her system and the Sonata out. They each took turns entertaining her with stories and jokes, so happy to have her back. They also forcefully removed Jack from the hospital room, making him leave for at least two hours each day. The nurse had brought a second gurney into the room once she realized that Jack wasn't leaving, and he spent his nights in the hospital, often waking to guide Sue through a nightmare.

Dr. Madison had been right. She was recovering well physically, and outwardly she appeared fine emotionally, but the nightmares scared Jack with their intensity. Sue awoke from each one breathless and panicked. He decided to wait to see if they stopped once she got home before he called in professional reinforcements.

Three days after being admitted to the hospital, Dr. Madison agreed to release Sue on the condition that she rest for at least another week and that someone was with her at all times to make sure she didn't have any long term effects from the high doses of drugs.

Lucy had figured out shortly after Sue's return that their time as roommates was coming to an end. She had actually sensed it was coming since she found out about Sue and Jack's first kiss, but just hadn't expected it to happen so soon. While Jack was spending his time at the hospital, Lucy and Bobby had been moving the bulk of Sue's things into Jack's apartment. They took over clothes and toiletries and her favorite pillow, food and supplies for Levi.

The morning of her release, Lucy and Bobby came to the hospital to share their news.

"Sue, I'm kicking you out," Lucy grinned.

"What?" Sue asked, shocked.

"We've been doing some moving this week," Bobby continued. "And I guess you've been too tired to notice, Sparky, because almost all of Sue's half of her apartment is now in yours."

"I thought I noticed a lot of extra things in my bathroom yesterday."

"I don't understand," Sue said, not altogether upset at the turn of events.

"Well, the doctor said you needed supervision, and well all knew that was going to come from Jack."

"And considering the fact that Jack hasn't left your side unless we've forced him to, we just figured this would be easier than trying to cram Jack into your apartment with Lucy."

"Yeah, and I love Jack, but I don't want to live with him," Lucy smirked.

"Hey! I think I should be offended."

"Don't be."

"Thank you for doing all of that," Sue hugged Lucy. Bobby came over to the bed and Sue hugged him as well. "When do I get to leave?"

"As soon as you're dressed and ready," Jack announced.

"Great! I'm ready for a change of scenery. Can you go find out what I have to do to discharge while I get changed?"

"Of course."

Jack and Bobby went into the hallway, leaving Lucy to help Sue pack up.

"Why do I feel like this was all part of some twisted cosmic scheme to get Sue and I to admit how we feel about each other?"

"Sometimes it takes a crises for you to realize just how important someone is to you," he paused. "For example, I wanted to show you this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box.

"Don't tell me you two got us an engagement ring," Jack said, having opened the box.

"No such luck, mate. This is for me. Well, for Darcy, actually. When I saw what you went through when Sue was gone… It made me realize how much I love Darcy. I'm going to ask her to marry me. And with any luck, she'll be crazy enough to say 'yes'."

Jack hugged Bobby. "Of course she will. I'm happy for you."

"You are going to ask Sue to marry you, aren't you?"

"I'd like to, some day. But we need to get through all of this first. Figure out what we're going to do about work."

"Let that be the least of your worries."

"I will."

"And for now, start planning that bachelor party, my best man."

Jack smiled and hugged Bobby again. "You bet."

Sue and Lucy emerged from the room, ready to go. Jack walked over to Sue and gently put his arm around her waist, careful to keep it low to avoid her bruising.

"Let's get you checked out, okay?"

"I can't wait to go home," Sue said, meaning more than just leaving the hospital. She couldn't wait to go home to her new home, a home she shared with Jack, a home full of love where she could forget the last miserable week.

~*~*~*~

Jack cooked dinner for them, suffering through Sue's teasing of his culinary skills with a smile plastered on his face. Around 9:00, he noticed her energy waning and suggested that she head off to bed.

"That sounds like a great idea," Sue said and headed into Jack's bedroom. She washed her face and brushed her teeth and went in search of pajamas. Lucy and Bobby really had moved her in. She found her clothes in Jack's dresser, and she wondered if Jack had noticed yet. She went to take off her shirt and realized she had a problem. Lucy had helped her dress at the hospital, her bruised ribs making it difficult for her to move. And her right shoulder still ached from when Craven had grabbed her at the airport. She was barely able to get out of her jeans and into her pajama pants. There was no way she was going to be able to struggle out of her top. She sighed and called for Jack.

"Everything okay?"

"I need your help," she said, timidly.

"Okay. With what?"

She held up her pajamas. "Oh."

Jack took a deep breath, looking more like he was preparing for brain surgery rather than helping Sue out of her clothes, and walked over to her. He stood behind her, trying to give her some privacy, and gently lifted up her shirt.

"I can't really lift my arms very well," she said as Jack reached her neck.

"Okay." He moved around to the front and gently pulled the shirt over her head, slipping it down her arms. He stopped short, staring at her, and the shirt fell to the floor. He reached out a hand and gently touched the dark line of bruising that stretched all the way across her stomach. He hadn't realized how bad it was. Tears unwittingly filled Sue's eyes. She hadn't allowed herself to cry since she had woken up in the hospital, deciding she was going to fight fire with fire. She wouldn't let Craven win now. Not after he was in a prison hospital, slowly recovering from two very painful bullet wounds.

Jack's eyes traveled up to meet hers and he saw the tears that Sue refused to let fall. She couldn't take it. She couldn't take the look of worry in his eyes, the gentleness of his touch. She let out a sob and Jack very gently held her close, careful not to press too hard on her bruises. Sue let herself go, crying out all of her fears and worries, her rage toward Craven, her anger at herself for not acting quicker in the airport.

Jack just held her until she had cried herself to the point of exhaustion. He walked her over the bed and carefully helped her into her pajama top. She lay down and Jack stroked her forehead.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Sue shook her head.

"I know you may not want to now, but you're going to have to at some point. It doesn't do you any good to keep it all locked up inside."

"I know. I'm just tired."

"Okay," Jack said, willing to let it rest for now. He pulled up the covers, kissing her on the forehead.

"You're leaving?" she asked, worried.

"I need to go take care of a few things. I'll be right out in the living room. Levi's right here with you." The dog, like Jack, hadn't left her side for long. He lay on the floor at the foot of the bed, protecting the room.

Jack kissed her again and turned off the light, keeping the bedroom door cracked. Back in the living room, Jack booted up his computer and began typing his transfer request.

~*~*~*~

An hour later, he was finished. He knew it had to be done, knew that it was more important for him to be with Sue outside of work than it was for him to remain with the team. As he shut down his computer, Levi came running toward him.

"What is it, boy?" Jack followed the dog back into the bedroom, where Sue was tossing violently from another one of her nightmares. He petted the dog. "I know, it's scary. But she's okay," Jack said, hoping he sounded convincing. He wasn't so sure he believed himself. He was happy when Sue had finally broken down crying. He had felt like she had been holding everything inside, which was nothing but self-destructive. If he could only get her to talk…

He turned his attention back to Sue, reaching out to stroke her right cheek. She calmed visibly and was soon awake.

"Jack?" In the dark room, it was hard for her to make out signs, so he leaned down and kissed her softly instead. She smiled. "Will you stay with me?"

"Be right back," Jack said, heading out to make sure his front door was locked and bolted. He turned off the lights, brushed his teeth, and came back into the bedroom. He pulled off his jeans and sweater, slipping into a pair of pajama pants. He crawled into bed next to her and she scooted over to him. She carefully lay on her left side, keeping herself positioned so she wasn't leaning forward on her ribs. Jack wrapped his arms around her, low on her hips. Sue was asleep within minutes.


	12. Jan 5 9:29 am

**Date: **9/29 is my best friend Steph's birthday, and I am very happy to say that unlike what happened to my friendships with Sarah and Dawn, Steph and I have not lost contact. In fact, I was just a bridesmaid at her wedding in May. We've been friends since we were 6-years-old - almost 22 years!

* * *

_Cause I have had something to prove  
As long as I know there's something  
That needs improvement  
And you know that every time I move  
I make a woman's movement  
And first you decide  
What you've gotta do  
Then you go out and do it  
And maybe the most we can do  
Is just to see each other through it _

_~ Ani DiFranco :: Hour Follows Hour ~_

**Hour follows hour…**

**1/5 9:29 am**

Sue woke first, still safely ensconced in Jack's arms. She didn't have any more true nightmares after he joined her, but still had fleeting images of her kidnapping that would enter and leave like wisps of fog.

She stared at Jack as he slept, amazed at the shift in their relationship. They were in love, they had told each other they were in love, and they were living together. Living together – Sue could barely believe it.

Jack awoke and smiled at her, cuddling in closer, kissing her on the cheek. Sue decided it was time to talk. She gently pulled back so she could see Jack's face clearly. He looked at her, expectant.

She began to tell him everything, from the moment she sensed something was wrong at the airport to the relief she felt when Jack kissed her after rescuing her from Craven. She didn't know how long she went on, half speaking and half signing, an occasional tear falling as she told her story. Jack listened quietly, his hand resting lightly on her hip, not wanting to break contact.

When she finished, he smiled at her. "Feel better?"

Sue smiled back. "Much." She reached out and tousled his hair. "Thank you, Jack."

"For what?"

"For everything."

And they kissed and Jack knew that they were going to be just fine.

That night, as they slept side by side, Sue's nightmares were gone.

~*~*~*~

Jack stayed with Sue for the rest of the week. Jack was scheduled to go back to work on the 10th, with an open invitation for Sue to come back whenever she was ready. She decided she wanted to return with Jack so they could face whatever they had to face together. Jack had heard nothing from Ted about his transfer and anticipated his boss would be meeting with him as soon as they got in.

When they entered the bullpen, two large banners hung from the ceiling and they were greeted with applause and hugs. Jack and Sue looked at each other, confused. One banner read, "Welcome Back Sue!" while the other read, "Congratulations, Jack!" They were both wondering what, exactly, called for congratulations.

At the center of it all was Ted, who quieted everyone down so he could make his speech. "First, welcome back, Thomas. It hasn't been the same around here without you, or without you, Levi." The dog barked in agreement. "And just to let you know, we're never going to let you leave again."

"Here, here!" said Bobby.

"Second, Jack, you're looking very confused and I know exactly why. I know that you put in for a transfer," at this, Sue looked at him in surprise, "but I am not about to break up my best team. I know that the FBI has rules about relationships between members of the same team. Well, with a little creative legwork, and some begging, I managed to work out a plan. Instead of being transferred, you're being promoted."

"Wait a minute!" Myles interjected. "That's what you have to do around here to get promoted? Date someone on the team? Tara, are you free this weekend?"

"Get real, Myles." Everyone but Myles laughed.

"May I continue, please?" Ted said, giving Myles a look. "Technically, you are now the FBI liaison to the NSA."

"National Security Agency?" Jack verified.

"Yes. As a team, you handle a lot of terrorism cases and the NSA has requested that we begin to include them on some of what we do. In the spirit of partnership, we didn't want one of their crazy agents invading our teams, so we volunteered Jack to invade theirs. Due to the move, which is a promotion, including higher pay, by the way, you now fall under a different hierarchy, which means that you and Sue are free to be together."

Sue thought she was going to cry. Jack felt like hugging Ted, but stopped short and offered him a hearty handshake. Sue went right up to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, sir. We will never forget this."

"I'm counting on you to deliver, Jack. This position is a big deal, and even though 90% of the time it's going to be business as usual, the other 10% you need to make sure the NSA stays out of our way unless we absolutely need them."

"Will do, sir."

Jack and Sue hugged and kissed, still in disbelief over their luck.

"If you could just keep that to a minimum, that would be great," Ted added. The gang laughed.

After everyone had settled, Sue pulled Jack off into a corner so they could talk privately.

"You were going to transfer for me?"

Jack blushed. "Yeah, I was."

She kissed him. "I guess you beat me to it."

"What?"

Sue pulled out a letter and handed it to him. Jack looked it over: it was Sue's own transfer request.

"I guess this is for real then, huh?" Jack asked, grinning widely, fingering the jewelry box he'd kept in his pocket since the day after he got Sue back.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Sue beamed.

"Good." He glanced around the room to make sure no one was looking and, glad Sue decided to wear her hair up today, kissed her on her neck. She just about melted.

"Jack!" she chastised.

With a mischievous look on his face, he stared right into her deep brown eyes.

"I can't wait to find more of those."

Nonplussed, Sue responded with a smirk, "Me neither."

~*~*~*~

_Too much is how I love you  
But too well is how I know you  
And I've got nothing to prove this time  
Just something to show you  
I guess I just wanted you to see  
That it was all worth it to me_

_~ Ani DiFranco :: Hour Follows Hour ~_


End file.
